The Rise of Starkiller
by darksawr
Summary: The Inquisitor's fall made way for Starkiller's rise. The Dark Assassin wreaks havoc with tenacity greater then any others, taking down many Rebel Cell's and Operations, expanding the Empire's shadow over many worlds. The Ghost crew must step up and stand against this new foe, the question is: Will they succeed, or will they join the rebels that crossed Starkiller's path? Cancelled
1. Prologue

The Rise of Starkiller

Chapter 1

Prologue

 **Hello everyone, this is Darksawr here with the sequel to The Mandalorian Rebel. I present to you all THE RISE OF STARKILLER. That is right folks, the legendary Sith from The Force Unleashed Series is going to be making his mark in my stories, and you got to a taste of his capabilities in my first story now you will all see him in action!**

 **A/N: This story shall be operated similarly to my original, the more reviews I get, the harder I work. And also, no flames please, in my last story there was a guest reviewer who wouldn't stop criticizing me for a few flaws I made, I removed his reviews. Constructive criticism is what got me this far, and I can tell the difference between the helpful constructive criticism and the slightly hurtful flames.**

 **Another thing you guys should know, this takes place a few months after the events of my previous stories' final chapter. Ergo, I can make the difference in the characters (AKA their Season 2 appearances) not seem too sudden.**

 **Disclaimer: My OCs are my property, and Yitzhak and Jacob belong to the Horned King. But the amazing Star Wars series is property of Disney and Lucasfilms.**

* * *

Few months later…

Two figures in Mandalorian Armor, one female with colorful armor, and one male with dark black and dark purple highlights, were perched atop a building looking through Macrobinoculars and observing an incoming Imperial Convoy carrying a High Value Target (HVT). The female Mandalorian pulled out a light and flashed it on and off at an adjacent building.

A sniper wearing customized stormtrooper armor saw the light and responded with a flash of his own to signal he was ready. He aimed down his sniper sights at the Mandos, the male of the two nodded, and the sniper nodded back before shifting his sights to the leading speeder of the convoy guards. He hit a button on his wristcom and an ETA timer was synced to a female wearing custom Stormtrooper armor's wristcom along with the devices on his other friends' wrists.

In a pair of parallel alleyways, four speeders were parked each with a rider with a synced wristcom. One rider was wearing stormtrooper armor with black highlights and a yellow trim, another had a helmet with a retractable visor with red and black streaks painted like Felucian war paint. The third rider was female, and had a similar armor design to the first female Mandalorian, they were sisters after all. The final rider had a grenade launcher on his back along with an explosive charge in hand, he had armor that had some depictions of thermite and other pyrotechnics.

The person with the black highlighted armor signaled the demolitionist to set the charge, the said man complied and ran into the middle of the street and planted the charge into the ground. He gave his comrades a quick thumbs up before receding back into the shadows of the alleys and mounted his speeder like the rest of his friends. The supposed leader of the riders flashed his light towards the building with the sniper in it, but the signal was for the sniper's companion, a girl wearing custom armor of a stormtrooper with light purple coloring and dark red highlights. Said girl nodded and spoke into her wristcom.

"This is Shadow to Nightwolf, the convoy is on approach, over."

"Copy that Shadow, begin scan." The male Mando from atop the building replied.

"Commencing scan."

Shadow hit a button on her custom helmet's temple and began to scan the passengers of the convoy vehicles. It registered many files and at amazing speeds but didn't find a match until Shadow scanned the armored carrier that was just behind the lead one, said carrier was outlined in green on everyone's HUD now, confirming a match along with a picture of the HVT.

He was an Imperial officer with a few scars on his face and had a black Imperial officer uniform on him along with some ISB equipment. Lieutenant Major Vector Larmos.

"That is definitely him, Twister to Deadeye, do you read me?" Twister spoke through her wristcom softly.

"Loud and clear Twister, send it." Deadeye responded.

"Commence phase one of Operation: Interception." Twister ordered.

"Copy that, taking the shot."

As the center convoy vehicle was nearing the charge a plasma bolt when right through the forehead of the gunner atop the convoy vehicle. As the soldiers limp corpse fell onto roof of the vehicle, the Demo trooper activated the charge that flipped the leading armored vehicle over and rolling through the streets.

* * *

"Ambush, ambush!" an Imperial officer shouted over the imperial comlinks.

"Phase two, go, go, go!" Nightwolf shouted into his comlink.

The figures in the alleys mounted their speeders and zoomed into the streets and behind the rear convoy vehicle; two on the left and two on the right. The man with the black and grey highlights on his armor; codenamed: Excalibur, signaled the others to prepare to board. The four bikers switched their speeders to autopilot mode and stood up steadily and maintained balance as they came alongside their respective sides of the armored vehicle.

The demo trooper known as Blitz, took out his grenade launcher and fired it at the door, busting it down with extreme prejudice. Blitz then chucked his launcher over the vehicle as Excalibur boarded it. The other male insurgent codenamed: Gearshift, caught the launcher and did the same through the vehicle's rear entrance.

Excalibur jumped into the entrance and shot one of the drivers, before he had the chance to shoot the other, a stormtrooper jumped on his back and attempted to ground him. Excalibur tried to throw the soldier off of his back but to no avail, and the copilot began to reach for the emergency blaster pistol underneath his seat.

Both the copilot and the trooper were shot in the heads cleanly by the female of the four bikers, codenamed: Flare. Flare gave a quick salute to Excalibur before removing the body from the pilot seat and began to bring the vehicle alongside the one in front of it.

The driver of said vehicle noticed this and ordered the Stormtroopers aboard to get to the roof and repel the attackers. The Soldiers complied without saying a word and climbed up to the top, a few were shot by Deadeye before they could reach the top; who relocated to maintain a visual on them.

* * *

"Nightwolf and Twister, you are clear for phase 3." Shadow stated; observing the battle and keeping her comrades posted.

Twister and Nightwolf activated their jetpacks on their backs and rocketed towards the intercepted vehicle; albeit it wasn't the target. They landed on their commandeered vehicle and Nightwolf and Twister drew their Double bladed red lightsaber, and Twin Blaster pistols respectively. Nightwolf activated the lightsaber's special feature and it began to spin at incredible speeds, deflecting blaster fire left and right and gave Twister excellent cover while she shot at the remaining soldiers atop the adjacent vehicle.

Once all the troopers were dispatched they jumped onto the adjacent vehicle and Nightwolf cut a hole in the ceiling, allowing Twister and himself to get in and kill the remainder of the personnel. Twister removed the dead driver from his seat and took the 'wheel'. Nightwolf pressed a button on his wristcom and Shadow's wristcom flashed green.

"Both rear vehicles have been hijacked successfully, marking friendlies." Shadow murmured as she marked the hijacked escorts with green and the remaining one containing Vector Larmos with orange, signifying the HVT was aboard that transport. Her HUD was then synced to her teammates' helmets.

* * *

Inside the target vehicle Vector was slightly fearful and curious as to what was going on, the officer that supervised the stormtroopers put his left hand to his corresponding earpiece and was apparently listening to a report. Whatever it was, it clearly was bad since the officer's eyes shot open in shock.

"Revert to alternate route!" the Officer barked to his subordinates; who complied without breathing a word.

"What is going on!?" Vector demanded.

"Lieutenant Larmos, our rear guards flat lined and have been presumably hijacked, we need to take an alternate route to the LZ." The officer explained as the vehicle hooked left and sped away.

* * *

"He's rabbiting!" Deadeye reported as he saw the HVT vehicle speed away.

"Seraph, this is Nightwolf," Nightwolf spoke into his wristcom, "The target is fleeing down the alternative route, be prepared to cut him off!"

" _Warbeast and I are ready to intercept, have the escort vehicles been disabled?"_ Seraph's voice rang through the comlink.

"Affirmative sir, we have hijacked enemy vehicles and are proceeding to the extraction LZ." Nightwolf replied.

" _Roger, Solar and Skyrazor will meet you there, good work team, we'll take it from here."_ Seraph said with a little pride in his voice.

"Acknowledged, Nightwolf out." Nightwolf stated before switching off his comlink.

* * *

Nightwolf then relayed the orders to his allies who in turn drove their vehicles off the streets and into the outskirts as well, but not to follow Larmos, just to meet their extraction team. After only fifteen minutes of cruising they came up to an empty field, or so it seemed, a ship uncloaked; codenamed: _The Reapers' Claw._

Two Mandalorians, both male, one with green colored armor with yellow highlights with a special type of visor on his forehead; which could be pulled over his HUD at will, armed with a standard DC-15 blaster rifle with a grapple attachment. The other had grey color to his armor with maroon highlights with a dusty texture to it along with a pair of hollowed out reek horns attacked to the helmet's cheek areas, armed with a blade of steel that could retract back into the hilt at will along with a blaster pistol on his belt.

"Glad to see you guys aren't late to the party, where's Larmos?" the Reek armored Mando known as Solar asked.

"He fled, Warbeast and Seraph are preparing to intercept, we need to swing back around and pick up Deadeye and Shadow from the rooftop vantage point." Twister answered.

"Alright, let's go." Skyrazor stated, "Star Eagle will be on standby to extract team two."

* * *

The armored transport cruised through the outskirts of the city with haste. Two figures mounted a speeder with a rotatable seat for the gunner, a rather bulky figure with striped grey fur, mounted the turret. The bulky figure was a Lasat wearing a spec ops mask, with red optic eye areas with a retractable mask function, allowing it to fold up into pocket size with the push of a button (imagine Starlord's mask but with a more Safari color theme), with a Bo Staff strapped to his back.

The second figure was tall and slender, wearing a helmet with a silver blast plate shielding the face but didn't obscure vision thanks to a harmonic pulse optic inside the helmet that allows the wearer to see right through almost any metal (look up the Jedi Knight Armor of the old republic and you will know what I mean.) He had a blaster pistol clipped to his belt and two pieces of a lightsaber, one on each side of said belt. The thin figure mounted the speeder's driver seat and took off to intercept the vehicle.

"Lieutenant, we have an unidentified speeder on approach, presumably hostile!" the Driver reported to Larmos.

"If it is hostile then shoot it, you imbeciles!" Vector snapped; he was not in the best of moods.

The mini turret atop the carrier came online and lined up the speeder in its sights before opening fire. The pairs of red laser fire were easily dodged by the speeder driver. The gunner shot at the carrier's rear thrusters causing a tiny explosion in the back of said vehicle.

"What happened!?" Vector shouted.

"They took out our rear thrusters, we are losing speed!" the driver said as the carrier began to slow down, but it didn't stop.

"Take out that darn speeder!" the officer ordered.

"Don't have a clear shot, he is too close to us!" the driver replied.

"Send the men out to deal with it!" Larmos demanded.

Just as one of the troopers opened the side entrance, he was grabbed by the bulky Lasat and was tossed out of the moving vehicle.

"Open fire!" Larmos shouted to the two remaining soldier; an officer and a stormtrooper.

No blaster fire came from the imperials.

"I said open fi…" Larmos repeated before turning to see that the two imperials were being levitated; guns on the ground.

The two soldiers were then slammed into the wall as Seraph entered and shot the driver, his corpse landing on the autopilot controls.

Warbeast then quickly restrained Larmos.

"I don't know who you think you are, you are attacking an imperial office…" Larmos protested before being injected with a powerful sedative by Seraph, knocking him out like a light.

"Star Eagle, this is Seraph, we have the HVT and are ready for extraction!" Seraph spoke into his wristcom.

" _Roger that, coming in hot."_ A female's voice came through the com.

The two then climbed onto the top of the carrier, Warbeast had an unconscious Vector Larmos slung over his broad shoulder. A cargo frigate came in from the sky and hovered at a fixed altitude above the vehicle. Two more men grappled down on separate cables, onto the vehicle with blasters at the ready. Seraph held onto the man with Mandalorian Armor depicting a shark-like alien, as he was retracted into the frigate. Warbeast was too big to hitch a ride on the other man's back.

The other man had a stocky build, he had a mask similar to Warbeast's but with a plain black color instead of the Safari color Scheme, he wore light pieces of armor on his chest, leg, and arm areas. Not as protective as Mandalorian armor but it allowed more maneuverability.

The stocky man signaled for his comrade to throw down another cable. The cable for Warbeast was bigger and stronger to support his weight. As soon as Warbeast was aboard and Larmos was on the floor the frigate infamously known as the Ghost ascended to the skies and closed the boarding ramp where the hijackers entered with Larmos.

"Nice work!" HK-51 exclaimed.

An astromech known as Chopper gave out a series of beeps and electronic frequencies.

"TIE fighters on our tail, can't say I'm surprised." The stocky man in light armor stated nonchalantly.

" _HK-51, man the bottom gun! Chopper I need you in the cockpit!"_ Star Eagle's voice rang through the coms.

The HK unit nodded and went to man the gun.

* * *

"Agent Kallus, we have a visual on the insurgent frigate, they have captured Lieutenant Major Larmos, orders sir?" The TIE fighter Pilot asked a hologram of the sideburned agent.

" _Bring it down."_ Kallus said dryly.

"No disrespect sir, but an Imperial officer is aboard that…." The pilot explained a bit uncomfortably.

" _Did I stutter!?"_ Kallus shouted.

"No sir."

" _I don't care if an officer is aboard that ship, I wouldn't even care if there were children aboard, bring it down!"_

"Yes sir!" the pilot complied, "All TIEs open fire!"

* * *

HK was gunning down any TIEs that got too close, and the ship would occasionally shake a little if a TIE managed to land a hit.

"By the looks of things they don't care if Larmos is dead or alive." Star Eagle stated; she herself wore a mask just like Warbeast except with Twi'lek battle paint on it, she also had two green Lekku protruding from the back of her head.

"How low can they go?" Warbeast asked sarcastically from the top turret.

"I don't think they'd care if they went so low that they were kissing the ground, they ain't pulling any punches, because I got six more airborne signatures coming our way." The stocky man replied.

"I can't ascend until those TIEs are destroyed." Star Eagle exclaimed over the ship's intercoms.

" _This is Reapers' Claw, looks like you guys could use some help."_ Solar's voice came through the ship's holocommunicator.

"We got multiple TIEs on our six, can you take care of them?" Star Eagle asked with a laugh of relief.

" _Roger that, engaging."_

The _Reapers' Claw_ emerged from the clouds behind the TIE fighters and opened fire, gunning down as many TIE fighters as it could see. Skyrazor was controlling the front turret with skill and finesse, unlike the Ghost, the _Reapers'_ _Claw_ had turrets that were operated remotely from the cockpit via terminal. It didn't take long for the Ghost's and Claw's efforts to eliminate the Imperial TIEs. Said ships were proceeding to ascend and punch in coordinates for the rendezvous point with the other rebel cell they were securing Larmos for, and jumped to hyperspace, leaving Christophsis behind.

* * *

Aboard the _Reapers' Claw_ …..

The saboteurs all stood at attention in the cargo bay of the ship, all were waiting for the report of the mission and whether or not they succeeded or failed. Nightwolf walked up to them, Twister by his side.

"Team, mission: Success!" Nightwolf announced.

The soldiers cheered and removed their helmets and exchanged gestures of praise and of course the traditional fist bump.

Twister removed her helmet to reveal Sabine Wren, now with completely blue hair, her boyfriend Leonidas AKA Nightwolf, thought it was a good look for her. Nightwolf removed his own helmet to show his scarred, grinning face, he was proud of the cadets, their training had paid off tremendously. Sabine kissed him on the lips, just like they after every successful mission; their bond was strong, but the only thing they ever disagreed or argued on was the battle plan, but even then they learn to trust the other's decision.

They weren't the only ones who shared a strong bond.

Ezra removed his helmet along with Rosa, the two were beginning to grow closer, they even hug each other after a mission, but Ezra had yet to muster the courage to ask Rosa out; not wanting to risk their friendship. No one could blame him though, asking the girl you like out is tougher than battling ten terror troopers at once.

"Nice work down their Ezra." Rosa complimented the young Jedi with a playful slug in the shoulder; similar to what her sister did with Leonidas.

"I just busted down the door to the transport, you did the real work when you hijacked it." Ezra said modestly.

"We all contributed Ezra, don't put yourself down." Rosa said with a soft smile, "We succeeded because we all worked together, that is what's important."

"I guess you're right." Ezra said softly with a smile.

"Of course I'm right." Rosa said jokingly and slugged Ezra's shoulder again.

Ezra laughed at Rosa's free spirit, the similarities she and her sister Sabine shared weren't limited to just appearance. If it wasn't for Rosa's hair; which she dyed completely red, and Sabine's two years ahead of her, one could mistake them for twins or even clones!

Alena and McCoy; AKA Shadow and Deadeye, also shared a strong bond. Alena hadn't brought up the kiss McCoy planted on her forehead after the events of the Terror Trooper ambush a few months earlier, and McCoy has been taking things slowly with her, their relationship was beginning to bloom steadily.

"Nice shooting down there." Alena said; making conversation with the sniper.

"A sniper is only as good as his spotter." McCoy stated with a smile and wink; making Alena blush slightly.

"We all did a great job, we all played our roles very well and we succeeded, as the old saying goes 'There is no 'I' in team'" McCoy continued.

"An old saying, but a good one." Alena agreed.

"We coming up on the rendezvous point now." Cortez reported, "I have a visual on the Ghost, Larmos is secure and ready to be interrogated."

"Nice work team." Leonidas complimented the other three Mandos of the crew.

"Thanks, I wish we could have been down there fighting alongside you guys." Maximus stated.

"I'll see to it that next mission you boys get to be on the ground." Leonidas told his companions, "That's a promise."

"I'll be holding you to it." Maximus said with a chuckle.

"Trust me, you boys won't have to wait long, with the Rebel Alliance expanding, we'll have a mission in a few hours." Sabine said with a smirk; the Mandos enjoyed the thrill of battle, it was in their heritage and blood after all and this war has given the Mandalorians plenty of missions to keep busy.

* * *

The Ghost and _Reapers' Claw_ docked at the central command platform (similar to the Medical station that the Malevolence targeted in the Clone Wars) and walked to the center of the docking bay. Only a few of the crew had to come out to transport the HVT to the Rebel leader: Fulcrum AKA Ahsoka Tano. Leonidas; always wanting to do the maximum amount of work was one of the crew members who would attend the transfer. Johnson, Maximus, Sabine, and Cortez were the only other ones even interested in going, the cadets wanted to rest, and no one could blame them. The Mandalorians of the cell met up with Zeb, Hera, HK-51, and Chopper, who were transporting Larmos to meeting point; after taking away all of Larmos's weapons and communicators and cuffing him of course.

The short trip was silent; all the rebels too focused on the task at hand, the only one who was making noise was Vector Larmos, spouting off tons of empty threats and demands.

"This is worse than Maximus's snoring." Johnson commented; breaking the silence and induced a little bit of laughter from the rebels.

"I'll be sure to prove you wrong." Maximus commented inducing some more light laughter; it was good to laugh and unwind after a mission, non-evil laughter was something that was scarcely heard nowadays for obvious reasons. Soon they came upon the command room of the station where the Togruta Jedi was waiting for them.

"Master Jedi." The Mandos saluted her and the others gave a bow of respect.

"No need for titles." Ahsoka said with smile, "I see you have successfully captured Vector Larmos."

"You Jedi Scum, the Empire is the future of the Galaxy, it is the …." Vector was gagged before he could continue his rant.

"He likes to hear himself talk." Hera said with a sigh.

"Let's hope he still does when we extract the Intel from him." Ahsoka stated.

This induced some more laughter, lightening up the mood has proven to be a valuable trait, it alleviated stress quite nicely.

"So, why was this 'Fancy Buckethead' so important?" Zeb spoke what was on his mind since they began the mission.

Ahsoka's face became serious, "He is one of Darth Vader's key men."

"The Emperor's apprentice?" Cortez asked.

"Yes, the Emperor must really consider us a threat, based upon the Imperial com chatter Vader is coming to join the fight along with a deadly force user, the identity of this force wielder is classified, his own identity is unknown to almost every Imperial in the Empire, he has been kept under wraps for a long time. And based upon what you have told me about this Dark Assassin, we have every reason to believe that this Force wielder is Starkiller." Ahsoka explained.

"So we got a Sith Lord and a Sith Assassin in the fight, lovely." Hera sighed.

"I think we all know that we won't let a few Sith stop us from freeing the galaxy." HK – 51 spoke in his usual emotionless voice as Chopper gave off a few robotic noises to communicate, "And according to Chopper here, he agrees too."

"We all agree HK-51, but it isn't Vader or this Starkiller that bothers me", Ahsoka sighed, "It is the amount of lives they claim before we stop them is what worries me."

"With all due respect, Master Tano", Maximus spoke up, "This is war, lives will be lost."

"I know that, Maximus." Ahsoka replied, "But I don't want innocent people to die because we couldn't protect them."

* * *

Agent Kallus stood at attention, back straight and arms behind his back. Lord Vader was coming the Christophsis imperial command center where he was stationed whilst tracking the Rebels. Word also spread about an elite Sith Assassin trained by Vader himself, to those who have done their jobs to satisfaction and have earned respect; this was a great honor to meet a Darth. But to those who have failed many times and aren't 'Empire material' it was a waking nightmare, and it was no mystery as to what the Sith did to failures. Kallus gulped as a black Imperial Shuttle was beginning its approach, the symbol of Loyalty was painted on its fin.

"This must be the apprentice, looks like he got here before Vader." Kallus thought a little nervously; an Apprentice without his master is like a dog without a leash.

The shuttle's landing ramp lowered as it touched the ground, allowing Starkiller to walk out in his Sith Stalker armor; two Stalker troopers were behind him on either side. The dark apprentice approached Kallus, his breathing apparatus was heard as he got closer. Kallus waited for a minute for Starkiller to say something, but the Sith remained silent and his Guards remained as still as statues with blasters at the ready.

"You must be Starkiller, I have heard great things abou…." Kallus began; breaking the silence only to be cut off by Starkiller.

"I am not here for your praise, Kallus", Starkiller said calmly, "I am here because my master ordered me to."

"Apologies." Kallus said quickly; sweat was beginning to form beneath his brow.

"You seem nervous Agent." Starkiller continued, "Is it because of humid weather, is it because of my master's arrival, or is it because you have some failures you don't want us to discover."

Kallus was saved by the sound of Vader's shuttle approaching; which had the standard white paint job. As the shuttle's ramp was lowered, Starkiller and his men kneeled before it. Kallus did the same, wanting to avoid disrespecting a Sith Lord.

Vader walked down the ramp, his breathing was rhythmic to his steps, and up to his apprentice.

"My master." Starkiller stated.

"You may rise now." Vader said; allowing them to stand up.

"Agent Kallus, do you know why I am here?" Vader asked the ISB officer.

"Because of the Rebel cells in the area." Kallus answered nervously.

"And?" Vader pressed.

"Because I have failed to stop them." Kallus answered again.

"Precisely, it has come to my attention that you have pursued these rebels for many months." Vader continued as he began to walk towards the base's entrance with Kallus and Starkiller in tow.

"Yes my lord, with the utmost diligence and effort…." Kallus began only to be cut off by Vader.

"That diligence is only reason why your pathetic throat still draws breath." Vader growled.

"T-Thank you my lord." Kallus stammered.

"A Jedi is among them if I recall correctly." Vader remarked as they entered the base; Stormtroopers stood at attention as the Sith walked by.

"Yes my lord, but we have reason to believe that there is another Jedi." Kallus stated; making Vader stop in his tracks.

"Another Jedi?" Vader asked; not even turning around.

"Y-yes my lord." Kallus was slightly unnerved by Vader's sudden change in tone, "A Togruta if the intel is accurate."

"I see." Vader said as an officer brought him the data file on recent rebel activities; Vader then turned around and began to leave the facility not five minutes after he arrived.

After noticing that Vader had led them back outside, Kallus spoke up, "Leaving so soon, my lord?"

"Yes, there is an important matter that I must attend to, it has also become clear to me that you need someone to supervise and assist you on the field, Starkiller is in charge now, and you take orders from him now." Vader stated.

Kallus opened his mouth to protest but decided against it, he was lucky that his head was on his neck and not on the floor, no sense in jeopardizing his life any more than he already has. Vader boarded his shuttle again and took off without saying a word.

"I look forward to working with you Agent Kallus." Starkiller said with a chuckle, "Things are going to change."

"What are you talking about?" Kallus asked.

Starkiller merely pointed to the sky at an Imperial Star Destroyer descending on the planet, it was the _Bain of the Phantasms._

 **Annnnnnd that's a wrap. Read review and Enjoy!**

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you remember the cadets' code names then you should be able to identify who they really are in the beginning. Know this, I will be very busy, but reviews keep me going, the more reviews I get the harder I will work (knowing that I have some eager readers).**

 **Glory to Mandalore**


	2. Vader's plot

The Rise of Starkiller

Chapter 2

Vader's plot

 **Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter for The Rise of Starkiller! I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed and followed my story.**

 **A/N: This chapter is based upon the first episode of season 2 of Star Wars Rebels; you know the one with Maketh Tua's demise? Except my version will include Starkiller and Leonidas in it and as a result it will be a little different from the episode, for better or worse I guess. So I'll repeat just to clarify, this chapter is basically a book version of Siege of Lothal but with a few tweaks, so don't give me any grief in the reviews.**

 **Anyway please read review and enjoy the chapter, hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels is property of Disney, all I own are my OCs. Jacob and Yitzhak are property of the Horned King II who has given me permission to use his OCs in my story just like I did in the last one.**

* * *

A week after Larmos's capture…..

Vector was a tough nut to crack when it came to interrogation, as a result it took Ahsoka a while to get him to talk through means of truth serums and mind tricks to weaken his mind and make him speak a lot more willingly. Unfortunately for the rebels though, Larmos didn't have the information that they had hoped for and the Dark Assassin still remained a mystery, but the interrogation did bear some fruit, Larmos spoke of an Imperial convoy that was escorting a carrier that had a generous sum of fuel ripe for the taking. The rebel fleet was having a shortage in fuel, so that convoy might be just the break they needed to get back on their feet. The plan was simple, Phoenix Squadron would support the Ghost when they engaged the convoy and keep TIE fighters off their tail, the cargo was being carried via the cruiser's magnetic underbelly so it was left vulnerable; a rather large mistake on the Empire's part. Once they destroyed the magnetic holder then they could intercept the cargo with their own magnetic hull.

Just another day at the office for the Ghost crew, this mission was being carried out by Leonidas, Sabine, Ezra, Zeb, Kanan, Hera, and Chopper, the other members of their crew were helping Yitzhak with fortifying the base and training the cadets. Ever since they joined the Rebel militia they have been stretched much farther than before, thank the force for Maximus's crew and the cadets for contributing to the alliance's expansion.

* * *

The Ghost had exited hyperspace with the rebel fleet following shortly thereafter. As expected, it didn't take the Imperial freighters long to react and a firefight ensued quickly with Rebel A – Wings combating Imperial TIE fighters and Rebel cruisers exchanging shots with Imperial freighters that didn't have the cargo they were looking for. Two A – Wings took position on either side of the Ghost and maintained the same flight speed as said ship. Many of the Ghost crew were grateful for Phoenix Squadron's help, they made the jobs a lot easier than when they were solo fighters, but Kanan seemed to be against becoming a part of the larger group of Rebels and that stirred a lot of tension between him and Hera.

"Coming up on the convoy now." Hera's voice rang through the ship, "Phoenix Squad tighten up and provide cover."

" _Roger that!"_ the Phoenix pilots' voices rang in response via comlink.

"Ezra, man the top gun and keep any Imperial TIEs off of us." Hera continued.

"Roger." Ezra gave a quick salute before going to the top turret.

"Kanan you take the bottom." Hera told the Jedi; who complied without speaking a word.

"Zeb get to the cargo bay and be ready to activate the magnetics in the hull." Hera gave the Lasat his instructions.

"Of course." Zeb nodded and went to the requested position.

"Sabine and Leonidas, get to the Phantom to intercept the cargo!" Hera ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" Sabine and Leonidas saluted in unison before getting to the Ghost's shuttle.

As the two Mandos left, Sabine could've sworn she heard a sarcastic comment from Kanan over the ships intercom, the two seemed to have been a little at odds since they joined the alliance militia. She deduced it was because of the rebel troops that assisted them, the responsibility for the lives of others was a heavy burden and the fact that Kanan has managed to handle the additions to the Ghost crew was impressive, but the stress seems to have gotten to him a little.

The Mandalorian couple detached the Phantom. They stood by and waited for the order to take flight. Leonidas couldn't help but notice how much clearer their flight path was then normal.

"I guess this is another thing we can thank Phoenix Squadron for." Leonidas spoke his mind.

"Indeed, their assistance has made these missions a lot smoother." Sabine agreed with a smile.

" _This is Phoenix two, scratch two more Imperial TIEs."_

"Nice shooting Phoenix two, but would it hurt to save some for us?" Ezra joked as he was firing at any TIEs that Phoenix missed, which were few.

Zeb was not in as high of spirits since he didn't have a seat and the Ghost was evading plenty of TIE fire, put the two together and what do you get: a dizzy Lasat.

"I prefer to be back at base helping Yitzhak, at least my feat would be on soil." Zeb said as he was struggling to maintain his footing.

"C'mon Zeb, where is your sense of adventure and fun?" Ezra asked; Zeb knew that Rosa's free spirited personality was beginning to rub off on him. The young cadet also didn't notice Zeb slide back and off the Cargo bay balcony.

* * *

"Thanks for the assist Phoenix Squad." Hera thanked the fellow pilots before switching to the Mandos' com frequency, "This is Ghost to Phantom, begin your approach."

" _Copy that Specter 2."_ Sabine's voice responded.

Sabine piloted the mini shuttle through the cleared route; courtesy of Phoenix Squadron. Leonidas had an EMS (Electro Magnetic signature) detector in his hands, allowing him to target close by TIEs for the Rebel fighters to take down. It didn't take too long for the spunky female Mandalorian to find the cargo, in fact it stood out like a Wampa in a dessert because the crates were colored brightly and were being held in place by the frigate's magnetic underbelly. Sabine narrowed her eyes and steadied her aim with the Phantom's front cannons.

"Taking the shot." Sabine spoke into her wrist com as she fired the twin blasters at the underbelly of the ship. The minute the plasma made contact with the underbelly it began to ignite with electricity for a few seconds as the fuel containers fell into suspension in the middle of the battle field.

"This is Phantom to Ghost, cargo has been liberated." Sabine said with happiness in her voice; making her boyfriend smile at her, for her enthusiasm was infectious.

As the Ghost approached the jettisoned cargo, the Imperials seemed to have caught on to what they were doing and sent in some more TIE fighters to stop them from securing the fuel. Three of the TIE fighters managed to get on Phoenix One's six and was opening fire on the panicking rebel pilot.

" _They're all over me, I can't shake them_!" Phoenix One's panicked voice resonated through the rebel com channels.

"Tagging targets, Sabine we need to get those TIEs off of Phoenix One!" Leonidas exclaimed as he marked the TIE fighter's electric signature and synced it to the Phantom's targeting computer.

It didn't take long for Sabine to find the three Imperial fighters chasing the evasive A – Wing, she lined up the shots and took down the TIE pursuers as they whizzed by an Imperial Frigate.

" _That was close, thanks for the assist!"_ Phoenix one thanked the Mandos.

The Mandos had no time to respond, as the Imperial frigate they just passed opened fire on Commander Sato's cruiser codenamed: _Liberator_. More specifically towards its exposed rear engines.

* * *

" _This is Commander Sato, we are losing our rear deflector shields, we have to pull back immediately!"_ Sato's voice ordered over the comlinks.

"Acknowledged Commander Sato, but not before we get what we came for." Hera said confidently, "Zeb get ready to pull those containers aboard."

Zeb complied without saying a words and pulled the magnetic hull controls out of the Ghost's wall and had the containers on radar, but not within range. Since the Ghost had to slow down a bit to stabilize and give Zeb a clear shot with the magnetics they became easy targets for Imperial TIE fighters taking full advantage of Phoenix Squads absence so they could handle Imperial reinforcements that jumped in from hyperspace. The Ghost shook with each plasma bolt that made contact with it, causing some electric pulses to come out of the walls for a few seconds due to compromised circuits.

"Anytime Zeb!" Ezra exclaimed.

"Almost… almost", Zeb murmured as the cargo got closer on the targeting computer; which beeped a few times once the cargo was in range, "Gotcha!"

The Ghost's magnetic hull activated and pulled the fuel crates to the Ghost and sticking them firmly in place.

"Cargo secure, Ghost to Phoenix Squadron, mission accomplished." Hera announced through the multicommunicator.

One by one the Rebel cruisers were loaded with their fighters and jumped into hyperspace to regroup with the fleet in a safe zone.

"Twister, bring it in." Kanan ordered Sabine.

"Copy that, pocketing five by one." Sabine replied; Leonidas standing by her side.

The Phantom came up on the Ghost's six and carefully locked itself to the shuttle latch.

"They are home." Ezra stated with a smile.

Hera punched in the coordinates for hyperspace as the Kanan and Ezra gunned down incoming TIEs. Leonidas and Sabine entered the cockpit as Hera pulled the hyperdrive's activation lever and space became blurs of blue light. Mission: Success.

* * *

Meanwhile on Lothal….

Agent Kallus; or Agent Sideburns as Ezra and Leonidas call him, was pacing back and forth listening to the ranting of Maketh Tua.

"Agent Kallus, I've exhausted every resource at my disposal to find information on these rebels", Tua stated before slamming her fist into her desk with little result, "There is nothing to be found! What else could Governor Tarkin possibly expect?"

Kallus merely rolled his eyes, "He expects Lothal to be punished, to be made into an example of what happens to Rebel supporters. His very own Destroyer was decimated by those rebel scum; he takes that rather personally."

"I've doubled patrols, set up checkpoints, and established curfews", Tua listed as she looked down at her desk; the impatience in her voice was evident, "I honestly have no idea what else to do."

"Perhaps that is the problem." A deep filtered voice stated.

Tua looked up and saw Darth Vader standing in front of the doorway as if he had been standing there the whole time, she didn't even hear footsteps. The minister's blood went cold at the sight of the Sith Lord, he towered over her, she barely reached his shoulders and his respirator's hissing only made him more intimidating.

"You lack imagination, Minister," Vader continued without even moving, "when it comes to producing results."

Maketh gulped as the Sith approached her; his heavy footsteps getting louder with each breath she took.

"Lord Vader, with all respect due, you and Governor Tarkin are asking for miracles", Tua sighed, "If the Rebels have vacated Lothal then…."

"If the rebels have left, then we must bait them back." Vader cut her off, "And if they are here then we must draw them out. We shall squeeze Lothal until someone reveals the location of these terrorists that call themselves rebels."

"I am sorry milord, but I am merely a public official, I have no experience with such brutal methods." Tua protested.

"You can tell that to Governor Tarkin when you visit him." Vader replied.

Tua's heart stopped for a few seconds, Tarkin was not a merciful individual and she knew just what would happen to her if he were to discover her failures; there was a good chance he already has. When she came back to her senses Vader was walking away.

"Visit him?" Tua asked nervously.

"He expects you tomorrow to account for your failure." Vader simplified without even turning around.

"B-but I, I'm needed here, I, I couldn't possibly get away!" Tua tried to come up with a good enough excuse.

Vader had already left but Kallus was still present; albeit in the midst of leaving.

"Not to worry, Minister. Lord Vader and I will manage your duties in your absence", Kallus chuckled, "Besides, with Vader's apprentice here to assist, I think we shouldn't have too much trouble."

"A-A-Apprentice? V-Vader?" Tua stuttered in shock.

"Oh that's right, you two have never formally met." Kallus stated with a smirk, "Minister Tua, meet Starkiller, the apprentice of Lord Vader."

Tua gulped as another respirator's hissing resonated through the halls, albeit it wasn't as deep of one as Vader's. The Sith Assassin walked into the room, arms crossed behind his back and his eyes that were hidden behind his helmet fixed on the young woman. He wasn't as tall as Vader but he was still pretty tall, Tua was just a few inches shy of his height, he also looked much younger despite only his pale tattooed arms were visible.

"I'll leave you two to it." Kallus said as he left the room.

It took every ounce of Tua's willpower not to beg Kallus to stay.

"Minister Tua, it is a pleasure to meet you." Starkiller stated somewhat sarcastically; he extended his clawed hand out for a handshake, but the minister just backed away a few steps. This seemed to amuse the young Sith as a chuckle escaped him.

"What's the matter, afraid of these?" Starkiller asked as gestured to his razor sharp talons.

"M-my apologies, milord." Maketh recovered from her panic attack.

"What's the matter minister, you seem… worried." Starkiller chortled.

"I-it's nothing, I-I've just had a very long day." Tua lied.

"No, no, not worried." Starkiller ignored her statement, "You are afraid, I sense fear all over you."

Tua seemed to have a frog in her throat as the Assassin continued his deduction.

"I am aware you are going to visit Tarkin in light of your failures, but you shouldn't be afraid of a fellow imperial, not even me." Starkiller continued, "Unless of course you are hiding something."

Tua's heart stopped again; how was the Sith figuring everything out so quickly!?

"But then again it isn't my concern, I have no interest in your personal failures." Starkiller concluded; Tua then released a sigh of relief, until Starkiller slammed his clawed hand right into her desk, cracking the surface slightly.

"But I will say this, Minister Tua." Starkiller growled venomously, "In war things change, and everyone must pick a side."

Tua was beginning to believe that Starkiller was far more intimidating then his master, despite his young age. The said Sith removed his helmet revealing a scarred young man with orange eyes, buzz cut black hair, and pale skin, not a trace of emotion was present in his features.

"Make sure you know yours." Starkiller said in a rather dark tone before putting his helmet back on and vacating the room.

Tua was now all alone in her office and was lucky to have avoided a heart attack.

"Everything I believed in, everything I stood for, turned against me." Tua murmured to herself while resting her face into her palms.

* * *

Aboard the _Liberator_ …

The Ghost crew that was present during the convoy attack all stood at attention on the _Liberator's_ bridge and were happy that their efforts bore a generous amount of fruit.

"You and your crew have proven to be an invaluable asset in our fleet, Captain Syndulla." Commander Sato complimented the Ghost crew pilot, "The supplies and fuel you have acquired in your convoy attacks has helped us stay one step ahead of the Imperial fleet."

"Thank you Commander Sato", Hera accepted the praise humbly, "My only regret is that our Intel about there being shield generators aboard those freighters was off."

"Perhaps in your next attack, Hera." Ahsoka suggested; not one to let sorrow linger.

Before the discussion could proceed any further, Chopper came into the room with his plier-like hands out on both sides like a cactus, a series of beeps and grunts coming from him. HK-51 wasn't there with him since he remained behind to help on the base. To the Ghost crew, this was nothing unusual, but to Commander Sato it was both disrespectful and rude to burst in the middle of a briefing.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Commander Sato demanded; clearly not happy to see Chopper.

"An incoming transmission, who from Chop?" Kanan said almost childishly; which irritated Hera, "Ah, why don't you just play it?"

The rest of the crew remained silent as Hera gave Kanan one of her famous death glares and a sound of clearing her throat. Not even Leonidas could keep a straight face when given one of those glares, it was just like a mother would when she pressured her child to tell the truth. Kanan returned it with a lazy look that said "I don't care". Their relationship seems to have been a little tense since joining the alliances fleet.

"Chop, cloak us with a one-way transmission." Hera corrected Kanan's statement.

Chopper complied with Hera's order and patched the transmission through to reveal an Ithorian bartender they meet with occasionally for any tips or word that may have found its way into his bar. He wore a special translator that went into the flabs on his neck that Ithorians called a mouth. Leonidas believed he was called Old Jho.

"Hey it's Old Jho!" Ezra inadvertently confirmed Leonidas's recollection.

" _I can't see you, but I can hear you, my friends."_ Jho stated, _"Time is short, and there is someone here who is desperate to speak with you, she looked traumatized. I told her I couldn't find you but she refused to take no for an answer."_

"She?" Leonidas whispered to Sabine.

"Can't say I recall any female clients who looked desperate for help." Sabine whispered back.

" _She says she needs your help."_ Jho continued.

"We are always ready to help someone in need." Kanan said what Maximus called the rebel slogan.

" _Yeah, well, this one's different."_ Jho finished uncomfortably as he stepped aside to reveal Minister Maketh Tua, who seemed nervous and afraid.

Leonidas didn't know much about the minister, only that she fell for Sabine's 'Teacher's pet' façade and was tricked into going to the empty wrong bay.

"Minister Tua!" Hera exclaimed in surprise.

"We can't trust her, she's an Imperial." Zeb was immediately against even entertaining the idea of helping the Lothal Minister.

" _Please, I beg of you, listen to my request!"_ Tua stated desperately.

"Cut transmission." Kanan ordered Chopper only to be cut off by Hera.

"Wait! Minister, what is it that you want?" Hera asked; much to Tua relief.

" _My life is in great jeopardy, I need you to provide me safe passage off of Lothal."_ Tua pleaded.

"You ain't really considering this?" Zeb argued.

"Quiet!" Hera shushed the Lasat; allowing Tua to continue.

" _I assure you that my intentions are sincere."_ Tua proceeded, _"To prove it, I will trade secret Imperial information."_

Sabine took a step forward from Leonidas's side, "You're defecting from the Empire?"

Leonidas also took a step forward and backed Sabine up, "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

" _I am defecting, and I can assure you that this isn't a trap, no one else knows of my plans."_ Tua answered the Mandalorian duo's questions.

After a few seconds of silence Ezra spoke up, "She's telling the truth, I can sense her fear."

"It's what she is afraid of that concerns me." Leonidas stated.

"What is it that you are offering to trade?" Hera asked the minister.

" _A list",_ Tua replied, _"Of rebel sympathizers on Lothal, and other local systems."_

"Why haven't these sympathizers been arrested?" Commander Sato inquired suspiciously; it wasn't like the Empire to leave loose ends.

" _Some have powerful friends in the Senate, Imperial command watches them but can do nothing",_ Tua explained, _"I know you need Allies, get me off Lothal and I will give you the list."_

The crew remained silent for a solid minute, all contemplated the offer. Leonidas broke the ice.

"And how do we know that this list is even real, or if it's fake?" Leonidas asked; this caused a lot of the crew to see the truth in his words. Tua could tell she was losing trust and decided to make a daring decision.

" _I'll throw in information about the Dark Assassin!"_ Tua exclaimed; causing the bridge to fall silent again, eye's wide with surprise.

"You know about Starkiller?" Kanan asked after he recovered.

" _Very little but I think that it may help, too my knowledge you know nothing about him, help me off Lothal and that will be remedied."_ Tua finished.

The crew thought for a moment before huddling together and each gave their two cents on the matter.

"We have to help her." Ezra stated.

"I agree." Ahsoka said with a nod.

"As do I." Kanan chimed in.

"I'm in." Leonidas stated.

"As am I." Sabine didn't want to leave Leonidas's side in a mission; which is why they are never seen without each other on missions.

"All right, if Commander Sato approves the mission." Hera replied.

"I believe it could be worth the risk", Commander Sato gave his decision, "Besides, if this Starkiller is as deadly as he is rumored to be, we'll need the information on him."

"Minister, we'll get you out of there, just send us your coordinates." Ezra spoke for the team.

" _Thank you!"_ Tua beamed before cutting the transmission.

Kanan left before another word was said, Hera followed him without hesitation.

* * *

Leonidas and Sabine walked down the hallway adjacent to the one Kanan went down and decided to talk about the new mission.

"This might be just the break we needed." Sabine stated with her enthusiastic smile that was rarely shown on the battlefield.

"Indeed, if we can get that intel on this Dark Apprentice, we'll be able to disarm the element of surprise he has over us." Leonidas agreed.

"Leo, I'm worried about you, so far you have become a little obsessed with hunting that Sith", Sabine's face began to show worry, "You already killed the Inquisitor and got revenge for your clan, you even have his lightsaber as a trophy, isn't that enough for you?"

"This isn't about revenge, Sabine." Leonidas stated.

"Then what is it about?" Sabine pressed.

"It's about the safety of my family and the one I love." Leonidas answered, "I'm not going to lose another family, and I'll be darned if I let Starkiller harm you or anyone!"

"Your concern is appreciated Leo, but please", Sabine stepped in front of Leonidas and gave him a caring look, "Don't put your life in danger, if I lost you, it would be just as devastating as it would be for you, this affects all of us."

Leonidas paused for a full minute and digested what she just said, seeing the truth in her words he sighed and smiled softly, "Okay, I'll promise to avoid doing anything stupid, if you promise the same."

"Deal." Sabine agreed.

The two shared a kiss in the middle of the hallway, their relationship was no mystery to the rebel soldiers, the one thing that varied was that some passing soldiers smiled contently, and others were on the verge of losing their lunch.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything." Ahsoka spoke from behind them.

The Mandos quickly broke the kiss and stood at attention; this induced some laughter from the Jedi.

"Apologies ma'am!" the two exclaimed in unison.

"Nothing to apologize for, but please don't do it in the hall." Ahsoka giggled, "You remind me much of myself when I was your age."

"I thought Jedi..." Leonidas began to speak but decided to drop it.

"The Jedi order fell almost 16 years ago, we need to have someone to fight for, someone to live for. If you've seen Kanan and Hera then I think you will understand what I mean." Ahsoka stated, "And I think you do."

The Jedi rebel began to walk away but was stopped when Sabine spoke up.

"Master Tano, may I ask a question?" Sabine requested respectfully.

"Of course." Ahsoka nodded.

"If we do succeed in defeating the Empire and restoring the Jedi order, will you also restore the part of the code that forbids attachments?" Sabine asked.

Ahsoka took a few moments to properly answer the young Mandalorian's question.

"I don't know, I guess that is a question that can only be answered when and if that day comes." Ahsoka said before walking away.

* * *

 **Annnnnnd that's a wrap!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It is basically a slightly altered version of the Siege of Lothal. This is part one of it anyway, remember that the more reviews I get the faster the next chapter will come!**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **Read, Review, and Enjoy!**


	3. Vader's plot II

The Rise of Starkiller

Chapter 3

Vader's Plot part 2

 **Hello, I'm back! How are you all doing?**

 **I'd like to thank you all for your support, this story got a lot of hits pretty quickly, and I didn't know that many people liked the story. Well you guys are all awesome and kind.**

 **A/N: I've been getting a lot of questions about Juno, the answer will be revealed in due time, but I'll give you guys a little clue: The only thing that kept Starkiller from turning to the Darkside completely was her, and he is a Sith Assassin in my story.**

 **A/N 2: Another thing, just to make sure we are all on the same page, the Vader's Plot chapters are basically a book version of the Siege of Lothal but with a few tweaks; Starkiller style!**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars is property of Disney, I only own my OCs.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

On Lothal…

Tua had managed to sneak back into the Imperial command center of Lothal, her visit to Old Jho's bar remained unknown to everyone else, this brought the young woman no small amount of relief. She just had to go to her office one final time to get the list and information she promised the rebels, both on a separate device, the list being on a regular datapad and the information on Starkiller was in a storage device the size of her pinky finger; which she kept in her pocket. The risk she took stealing the Intel was very great, luck was on her side though. After a minute of clearing out anything valuable from her desk she stepped out into the seemingly vacant hallway, no sounds to be heard; not even footsteps of other staff and security.

Tua let out a small sigh of relief and began to walk towards the speeder transport bay. Unbeknownst to her, Agent Kallus was watching her from the corridor left of her office; a probe droid floating next to him. He didn't say a word, he merely gestured for the probe to follow the defecting minister.

* * *

Back on the _Liberator_ …

The team boarded a standard civilian transport shuttle and got seated, Chopper seemed to enjoy being the pilot of the shuttle; it gave him the idea that he set the rules. The crew mostly ignored Choppers demands and cut straight to the chase.

"So we aren't using the Ghost and we are letting Chopper drive this thing?" Sabine asked as she took her seat next to Leonidas and behind Ezra.

"After that stunt we pulled on Mustafar, there is a good chance the Empire is able to track it", Hera explained to the young Mandalorian, "And the _Reapers' Claw_ is still under repairs during that hit and run attack on Quell."

"Great mission so far." Zeb mumbled sarcastically; Chopper grunting again for a short while before manning the ship controls and detaching it from the docking latch.

Kanan began to spin his blaster in his hand like a smuggler, "So what's the plan?"

Ezra was the one who convinced the crew to help Tua despite her Imperial status, so they let him devise a plan.

"Okay, so Minister Tua departs to meet Tarkin at 1800, via shuttle", Ezra stated, "We get to the hangar and standby for her, when she arrives we steal the shuttle and fly her to safety."

"Ezra, I hope you are sure about this." Sabine stated; obviously skeptical about the mission and the plan.

"After everything she has done to us, after all she has put us through, why should we stick our necks out for her?" Zeb growled.

"Not to mention the plan seems a bit too easy, it isn't like the Empire to give us such a large window of opportunity." Leonidas voiced his concern.

"It's what we do, it's what separates us from them, and this is what proves we aren't like the fiends that murdered Jelkin Pondrei." Ezra replied with firm belief; then Leonidas cleared his throat as if to remind him to say something, "Plus the list will help us out."

Everyone smiled and nodded. After a few moments of silence Kanan spoke up.

"Leonidas, contact Yitzhak, see if any of the cadets can assist." Kanan ordered the Mandalorian warlord.

"Yes sir." Leonidas nodded and activated his holocom, which was answered almost immediately by Cortez.

" _Leonidas, what can I do for you?"_ Cortez asked respectfully.

"I need you to patch me through to master Yitzhak." Leonidas stated.

" _Patching you through."_ Cortez complied without question as his hologram was replaced by Yitzhak's.

"Master Yitzhak." Leonidas and Sabine saluted the cadet instructor.

" _Leonidas, Sabine, what is it that you want?"_ Yitzhak greeted and cut right to the chase.

"Are there any cadets that could meet us at Lothal at 1750 hours?" Sabine answered.

" _Standby please."_ Yitzhak stated as he walked away for a few seconds and returning with a datapad containing the schedules for each of the cadets, _"Rosa Wren is available for deployment."_

"Thank you, could you please send her to the Lothal docking port?" Leonidas asked.

" _You got it, good luck, that list could be just what we need to turn this war around."_ Yitzhak replied with a short smile before disconnecting the link.

Ezra seemed to have been watching the conversation when the mention of Rosa came up, his feelings for her were no mystery to the remainder of the crew, the look on Ezra's face when he heard Rosa would be coming along for the mission induced some small chuckles from the older members of the group; Sabine and Leonidas were too focused on their talk to notice though.

"It'll be nice to do a mission with my little sis." Sabine said happily.

"I bet she is just as excited." Leonidas agreed; he knew how much Rosa looked up to Sabine.

"I'm sure Ezra is too." Zeb shouted with a laugh, this induced the rest of the crew to laughter and Ezra to blushing as red as the Inquisitor's lightsaber.

He wished that the world would just swallow him right here to save the embarrassment.

* * *

It didn't take much longer for the shuttle to exit hyperspace and enter the Lothal system. Chopper let out a series of beeps and grunts as the Ship's comlink began to ring softly before an imperial officer's voice rang through it.

" _Shuttle 593, this is Lothal Control, you are cleared for landing."_

The crew exchanged skeptical looks, it was never this easy, but none argued when the odds seemed to be coinciding in their favor. After a brief second of silence Ezra spoke up as he felt something dark creep into his mind, making him shudder slightly, as if he forgot to bring a thermal suit to Hoth.

"I didn't think I would miss it, but…" Ezra trailed off; Kanan looked to Ezra with a little bit of concern.

"What is it?" Kanan asked the Cadet.

"Do you feel it?" Ezra asked, "I feel so…. Cold."

Kanan took in the information and let out a sound of thought.

"Could just be pre mission jitters, used to happen to me all the time when I was young." Leonidas stated, attempting to ease the mood.

"I hope so." Ezra stated, his voice still iced with worry.

* * *

The rest of the ride went by with little to no talk, everyone was either in their own thoughts about the mission or just taking in the scenery as the shuttle approached the docking bay, and Rosa Wren was standing attentively by the bay exit. As the shuttle's docking legs extended as it touched the ground softly; its engines slowly calming down until it was completely off. The docking ramp then extended and the crew exited the transport shuttle. Ezra immediately took in the sight of the multiple Star Destroyers in the skies, circling the city like a buzzard would a dying animal.

"I never thought I'd see so many Star Destroyers in one place." Ezra murmured as he looked up at the Destroyer directly above them, its blue spotlight shining down on the ground.

"If anything things have gotten much worse just when it was starting to look better." Leonidas stated; remembering how nice it looked during his date with Sabine, now it was back to the way it was, only much worse than before.

"Greetings Kanan, Ezra, Leonidas, big sis Sabine." Rosa ran up and greeted them with a crisp salute and a smile that made Ezra blush slightly when he returned the salute to his fellow cadet.

"Glad to have you aboard Rosa." Hera smiled at the younger of the Wren sisters.

After Rosa was filled in on a few details Yitzhak didn't tell her the mission commenced.

"Zeb, Chopper, stay with the shuttle in case we need a quick Evac." Hera told the astromech and Lasat.

Chopper let out his usual response of grunts and beeps.

"Tua's departing from bay 23, we should get moving." Kanan gestured for the others to follow him.

"Lock and load." Rosa told Ezra with a wink as she loaded her blaster pistol.

* * *

The security around the docking bay was surprisingly lax, and most of the Stormtroopers were patrolling the perimeter of the Imperial embassy. Civilians walked through the streets like normal, but Sabine could see that they were afraid, paranoid maybe, as if someone was watching them and making sure they followed a script.

The entrance chosen by the group was heavily guarded, less so then the others. Stormtroopers were talking inaudibly and the troopers kept following their patrol paths like droids. How they failed to see a group full of unique individuals was beyond the rebels.

"We'll need a diversion", Hera murmured before quickly adding upon seeing the Mandos reach for their weapons, "That doesn't blow our cover."

The Mandalorians holstered their weapons of choice with a sigh of disappointment. Kanan eyed a Stormtrooper with an orange pauldron on his left shoulder; signifying his rank as commander, that was walking down a quiet alleyway.

"Well, I'm going to go make some friends", Kanan stated casually, "When Tua arrives, I'll keep em busy while you drop in to the hangar from above."

His allies exchanged looks of confusion. Leonidas merely shrugged when Sabine gave him a 'What on earth is he talking about' look.

"Make some friends?" Hera asked with an eyebrow raised.

"It'll be fun." Kanan insisted.

"Fun?" Hera stated; Rosa couldn't help but giggle at the argument.

"Don't worry 'General Hera'", Kanan replied with a sarcastic tone and mocking salute, "Just be ready to move."

Kanan followed the Stormtrooper as Rosa whispered to Ezra.

"What's with Kanan and Hera lately?"

"Don't know, they've been at odds lately." Ezra admitted.

Kanan was now right behind the Stormtrooper as he placed his hand on his shoulder pauldron.

"Hey did we meet in basic training", Kanan asked as he grabbed the uncomfortable trooper's helmet in as if to inspect it closer, "You look familiar."

Before the Trooper could either call for help or even say a word Kanan hit both sides of his neck, knocking him out cold, he then dragged the trooper around a corner and emerged wearing the Imperial's armor a few seconds later. The group looked at each other with one question: How on earth did he undress the trooper and put the armor on so quickly!?

Kanan then placed the helmet on and gave Hera another exaggerated salute before walking on the Trooper's original path. Rosa chose to speak up first.

"Kanan's got buckethead." She stated with disbelief.

"I don't believe it." Hera sighed in agreement.

"I'm a little jealous, I only have the helmet." Ezra spoke while gesturing towards his customized Imperial cadet helmet.

"I think we should focus on the mission, not on Kanan weird behavior and plans." Leonidas stated with a bit of a joking manner.

* * *

The others followed him to a pile of crates in an alcove that allowed them to climb up to the rooftops. Leonidas and Sabine took point and even raced to see who could make it to the top first; Sabine won. Hera could only roll her eyes slightly with a chuckle at the antics of the young couple, Ezra and Rosa soon followed, and sure enough Rosa mimicked her sister and raced Ezra to the top; the poor boy didn't stand a chance at beating the spunky Mando to the top. Soon everyone got into a position that gave them a visual on the road that led to bay 23. They also got a visual on Kanan wearing his stormtrooper disguise, lining up with three other troopers that served as Tua's escort to the shuttle.

Rosa looked through the Macrobinoculars she brought with her and saw an incoming transport speeder, "Here she comes."

"Right on schedule." Sabine stated.

"Wait, she has some company." Ezra cut in.

"Who?" Hera asked as she carefully walked by Ezra's position to get a good look.

The Jedi in training saw Tua in the speeder, but she was accompanied by Agent Kallus.

"Lovely, Agent Sideburns." Ezra said dryly.

Kanan stood in front of the parked speeder, maintaining the guise of an Imperial escort trooper.

"Thank you Agent Kallus, but, there, there is no need for an escort." Tua thanked the ISB agent.

"Lord Vader wanted to make sure you reached the escort safely, it was either me or Lord Starkiller." Agent Kallus said with a dark smile and malicious glint in his brown eyes.

Kanan was thankful he was wearing a helmet to hide his slightly worried look at the mention of the Dark Assassin.

"I see." Tua stated in a bit of fear as she walked into the docking bay.

"You can never be too careful when it comes to security these days." Kallus stated while following Tua; his smirk still plastered on his face.

Kanan looked up to Sabine's position and gave a very small nod that would go unnoticed to those who weren't looking carefully.

"That's my que." Sabine stated as she put on her helmet.

"Be careful Sabine." Leonidas told her.

"Aren't I always?" She replied as she climbed alongside the rooftop and scaled down it stealthily until she landed right behind Tua and her Imperial escort.

"Yes, I suppose we can't." Tua agreed nervously with Kallus's statement before Sabine got their attention.

"Hey!" Sabine shouted as she drew both of her pistols cowboy style and opened fire.

"Minister, take cover!" Kallus ordered as he drew his own pistol and returned fire along with the rest of the soldiers.

Tua began to back away into the hangar bay as Kallus backed up slowly as well with his probe following along. Kanan returned fire at Sabine as well but was intentionally missing as he backed behind the hangar entrance.

Leonidas drew his pistol and shot the trooper closest to Kallus getting the attention of the other Imperial troops.

"There's another one!" a Stormtrooper exclaimed as he pointed to Leonidas's position on the roof.

The warlord dodged the incoming blaster fire with great skill before jumping off the roof and landing behind two crates near Sabine's position, he then holstered his pistol and drew his Darksaber and stood out by Sabine deflecting incoming shots away and back at the troopers. Leonidas gave Sabine faithful nod with his helmeted head as they began the cycle of deflecting and shooting back.

* * *

Kanan then shot the door controls, activating the emergency blast shields trapping Kallus inside with him.

"Surprise!" Kanan taunted as he ducked for cover.

"Rebel scum." Kallus growled as he shot at Kanan, but failed to land a hit.

The remainder of the crew dropped in and took cover, while Rosa laid down suppressing fire on Kallus along with Kanan.

"Minister get to the shuttle, we'll be right behind you!" Ezra told Tua.

"Right." Tua nodded.

Leonidas and Sabine meanwhile were finishing off the remainder of the escort troopers as Leonidas got into the speeder Tua used to get to the hangar while Sabine got into the passenger seat and was keeping up suppressing fire on the reinforcements. Leonidas got the speeder to ascend to the top of the target building. As the duo got off, a Stormtrooper shot the speeder's right side engine causing the speeder to spiral back down.

"You sure know how to show a girl a goodtime." Sabine joked.

"It's part of my charm." Leonidas responded in the same manner.

The two then looked down on the shuttle to see Tua sprinting into it, the others not far behind. But the second they were at the start of the docking ramp the shuttle detonated with the minister inside, knocking the rebels on their backs. Leonidas and Sabine's eyes widened.

"No." Sabine murmured.

When the group recovered Kallus was already opening fire on them once again.

"You", Kallus growled callously, "You did this!"

The blast door reopened and a fresh squad of troops came in guns a blazing

"We've been set up." Leonidas growled.

"Zeb we need a pick up, now!" Sabine shouted into her helmet com.

" _On our way!"_

* * *

Unknown to the rebels they were being watched by Darth Vader himself; his apprentice standing by his side, both were silent; the only noise coming from their breathing apparatus', once they saw that the minister was dead and the probe successfully recorded it, they left.

The shuttle came very quickly but didn't land, only hovering above the Rebels' location. The boarding ramp came out with Zeb peeking out and providing support fire.

"Come on!" Zeb roared.

"Rosa is still over there!" Ezra shouted as the Mando in question was pinned down by blaster fire, she was taking cover behind some crates adjacent to Ezra's position.

Before any words were spoken the young cadet grabbed a piece of the shuttle's debris and used it as a riot shield, crab walking across the vacant gap between Rosa and him; the piece of debris absorbing the blaster bolts.

"What's Ezra doing?" Hera asked Kanan; curious to Ezra's supposedly reckless actions.

"He's protecting the one he cares about most." Kanan said cryptically.

Rosa noticed Ezra advancing and laid down some more fire to prevent the soldiers from flanking him. Soon Ezra was right beside her.

"Get behind me!" Ezra exclaimed; Rosa complied with a nod and walked behind him in sync with his steps as they made their way back to the original position. The shuttle landed and the Rebels didn't hesitate to board it. Their transport then hovered beside the roof, allowing the Mandos of the group to jump back in.

Agent Kallus and the Stormtroopers fired at the shuttle constantly as it fled the area, a smoke trail coming from its left engine. An imperial walker fired at the shuttle's main engine, causing the ship to fall from the sky into the streets, causing civilians to run for dear life.

Smoke began to fill the shuttle and the smoke detector went off, signifying that the fire was nearing the oil tanks.

"Come on, we have to go NOW!" Rosa shouted as she lowered the exit ramp and got out of the flaming vehicle with the others not far behind.

As they sprinted into the alleys Leonidas spoke to himself, "It really was a trap."

* * *

 **Annnnnd that's a wrap!**

 **Read and review people, read and review!**

 **A/N: If you guys could tell me your favorite part thus far I'd be much obliged, I like to know what it is about my story that you folks enjoy.**

 **The more Reviews I get the quicker I update :)**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	4. Vader's plot III

The Rise of Starkiller

Chapter 4

Vader's Plot part 3

 **Hello everybody! I'm back with another chapter. Thank you all for your reviews, you are the best, they really help me work harder knowing that I have eager readers waiting for it! The more reviews I get the faster I work, remember that ;).**

 **A/N: Time for a saber fight, I've done my best to make this chapter worth the wait!**

 **A/N: I will also say again just to clarify, this is basically a book version of the siege of Lothal but with some tweaks.**

 **Now on with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters to know who owns what.**

* * *

Imperial HQ….

Darth Vader stood straight as he looked at the grand view the room's window provided, his apprentice stood in the corner, his arms crossed; occasionally uncrossing them to toss his lightsaber up and down in his hand, something he did when he got bored. It was ironic that the Sith historically craved war as if it were the one thing that kept them alive, the one thing that gave their lives purpose, yet when they weren't on the battlefield they seemed to take in the peace while it lasted, or they were just admiring the Empire's work and iron grip over the populace on Lothal, looking at the results of their conquest and savoring every moment of it. The silence was broken by the room's holoterminal beeping, it immediately turned on once Vader and Starkiller got in front of it.

Agent Kallus materialized on the terminal, a grin on his face that told the dark lords that the plan had succeeded.

" _Lord Vader, Lord Starkiller",_ Kallus gave a quick but respectful bow to both Sith, _"Everything went just as you predicted."_

"Inform the populace that the Rebel Assassins are hiding among them." Vader stated emotionlessly; slowly turning around, "Lockdown the spaceport, and make it known any ship attempting to depart from Lothal will be destroyed."

" _Right away."_ Kallus nodded before his hologram cut transmission.

Starkiller decided to consult his master on a few things that were buzzing around his mind.

"Master, what if the Rebels expose the truth to the population, if we are exposed for killing Tua, then won't that only rally support against us." Starkiller asked Vader.

"And with what evidence would they do that?" Vader asked without turning around, "Tua's body is in bits and pieces, there is no evidence that can be traced to us, the only thing those rebel scum have is their word against ours."

"Forgive me milord", Starkiller bowed, "I failed to see the big picture."

"And that is the obstacle that is preventing you from becoming a Sith lord", Vader said with a scolding tone, "You are a brilliant soldier and tactician but you lack the ability to look at the plan as a whole."

"Yes master, I will make sure it doesn't happen again." Starkiller said with reluctance in his voice that was luckily unnoticed by the caped cyborg.

"It had better not." Vader growled, "You are going to be needed for phase two of my plan."

* * *

The slums of Lothal….

The group had decided to hole up in Ezra's old home, for now it was the best option they had, and they all knew that the Empire would find them eventually. Chopper wheeled his way inside and used his little pincer-like arms to close it manually behind him. In the secret lower level of the Bridger residence, the one that had the old fashioned holochannel box, the rebels were hiding. Ezra and Rosa were currently tinkering with it to open the Imperial comchannel. Soon the box sparked to life and showed an Imperial officer with combed brown hair and sideburns; albeit not nearly as bizarre as Kallus's sideburns.

" _A beloved citizen of Lothal, Minister Tua's life came to a tragic end by this criminal band of rebels."_ The officer announced with a possibly fake tone of sadness as an image popped up of Ezra, Hera, Kanan, and Rosa, _"If you see them, summon Imperial authorities immediately. Trooper corps have been mobilized in an extensive sea…."_

Hera shut off the channel before the officer could continue any further.

"They did this to turn Lothal against us", Hera stated with disbelief, "We can't do anything more here, we have to leave, for good."

"We can't just run." Ezra immediately objected, "The people need to know the truth."

"I don't think the Empire is giving us that option." Rosa sighed.

"She's right", Sabine agreed, "They made it so we wouldn't have anything to use against them."

Upstairs, Chopper was attempting to weld the door shut, but it was breached by an Imperial Stormtrooper. Chopper didn't hesitate to zap him unconscious, of course this caught the attention of the two other Stormtroopers that were accompanying the unfortunate trooper. Chopper closed the door once more and resumed welding it shut while the Imperial knocked and made rather empty threats and demands for them to open the door.

Zeb poked his head out of the lower level hatch, "We got company."

* * *

More troopers arrived within a minute to get to the tazed trooper medical attention and to cut the chances the rebels had of escape even slimmer.

"They've resealed the door!" a Stormtrooper reported to the trooper with an orange pauldron.

"Blast it open!" the commander ordered.

The trooper placed a breach charge on the door, it soon released a small electrical wave through the door that caused it to implode. The trooper then came in and opened fire in the empty room to scan for any hostiles. The Stormtrooper leader was the first and apparently only one to notice that the room was vacant.

"Hold fire. Hold fire!" the commander ordered with a fist in the air to send the message to those who didn't hear him.

He then signaled a trooper to check out the exposed hatch, the trooper obeyed and chucked a thermal detonator down the hole. The Imperials then fled the house as quickly as their feet could carry them as it exploded into a fiery inferno.

An AT – DP was patrolling the streets with a Birdseye view, but failed to notice Chopper sitting on the roof a building; apparently the little astromech blended in with the roof's power receptors very well. Once the coast was clear he went to regroup with the others who were hiding just on the other side of the building's roof.

"If they knew about this hideout, it's a safe bet that they know about the other ones as well." Leonidas stated.

"We can't hide anymore, we need a ship", Hera deduced, "Perhaps we could try one of the local Imperial airfields."

Sabine used her wristcom to pull up a holographic layout of the area.

"They are all locked down. We'll never get outside the capital." Sabine explained.

"The Empire is looking everywhere to find us." Zeb agreed.

"Not everywhere." Kanan cut in, pointing at the Imperial compound.

"The Imperial Complex?" Hera asked in disbelief, "Are you insane?"

"Probably" was the thought on everyone's mind, albeit they didn't voice it.

"Does anyone ever say yes to that question?" Kanan asked sarcastically.

"He's right." Rosa spoke up.

"Rosa has the right idea, the imperial Garrison has been spread thin in their efforts to blockade the city", Sabine elaborated, "It sounds as crazy as it is ironic, but the area with the lowest concentration of troopers will be…."

"Near the factories." Leonidas finished, "There are some landing platforms outside these hangars."

"They're our best, and possibly only chance if we are going to find a shuttle." Rosa stated.

"And I'm already dressed for the part." Kanan said with a smirk as he held up his helmet.

"What if it's another trap? I'm aware that this could be our one chance but what if the Empire knows that as well?" Leonidas asked, "I hate to be the pessimist of the group but based on what the Empire has done so far, I wouldn't be too surprised if they find more ways to besmirch the rebels."

"Your concern is noted Leo", Hera used Leonidas's nickname, "But in war, sometimes you have to take a chance."

Leonidas simply nodded and took point for the group by walking across the power cable connected to the adjacent building, mostly just to make sure its stable, which it was.

"The line is stable.' Leonidas stated softly with a thumbs up.

The rest of the group followed across the cable, but Ezra stopped for a brief moment midway to look at his now burning home.

"I guess there is no going back." Ezra sighed before putting his helmet back on and finishing the walk across the power line.

"You okay Ezra?" Rosa asked sympathetically.

"I'm, I'm fine, Rosa." Ezra replied a bit reluctantly.

* * *

The rebels were once again executing one of Kanan's questionable plans. The group was stowed away in crates being carried by a levitating gurney, while Kanan, Ezra, and Leonidas were going in under the guise of stormtroopers and mercenary. They walked up to the maintenance and armory entrance, where a Stormtrooper was standing guard.

"What's this?" He asked the disguised rebels.

"Power cells in need of a recharge for the rebel pursuit." Kanan replied.

"And the Mandalorian?" the trooper looked at Leonidas.

"Local mercenary, he's being paid to help with the search." Kanan explained.

"Lucky, I just get paid to stand here." The trooper stated; it was clear he wasn't all that fond of his position.

Before Ezra could push the gurney in the trooper snapped out of his funk and stopped him.

"Hold it, Cadet. I need to check your cargo." The trooper placed his hand on Ezra's shoulder to enforce the fact that he wasn't kidding.

Kanan was about to step in but Ezra acted before he had the chance to talk.

"I got this." Ezra stated confidently before waving his hand in front of the Stormtrooper, "You don't have to check inside."

Unfortunately for Ezra, his attempt at a mind trick was unsuccessful and it only angered the soldier.

"Did you just try to give me an order, cadet?" The trooper shoved Ezra back with anger in his voice.

Kanan placed his own hand on the troopers shoulder, "No, he said, "You don't have to check inside."

Kanan gave a wave of his hand and was successful in manipulating the Imperial's mind.

"I don't have to check inside." The stormtrooper repeated in a monotone voice.

"Well then, as you wish trooper", Leonidas said with a mock salute, "C'mon hurry up, time is money."

The group proceeded past the soldier, once he was out of earshot Ezra sighed.

"I wish that worked for me." Ezra murmured.

"I wish that worked for you." Kanan murmured back.

* * *

The trio made their way through the compound to find it was mostly deserted, Sabine was spot on with her hypothesis. They made their way to the closest armory that they could find and pushed the gurney inside and closed the blast door behind them. The minute the gurney was powered off, Zeb burst out of one of the boxes gasping for air. Sabine and Rosa came out of another crate while Hera and Chopper were in the remaining crate. The girls of the group seemed to handle getting out of their hiding spots better than the Lasat. When Hera gave the Lasat a quizzical look he immediately protested.

"What?" Zeb asked, "I need to breathe. Have you smelled me?"

The oldest of the Wren twins looked out the door into the vacant hallway.

"Huh." Sabine reported, "Don't think it matters if you are noisy."

"Too bad I can't say the same about his stench." Rosa chimed in, making the crew chuckle slightly at Zeb's expense.

"This place is deserted, looks like your hunch was right Sabine." Leonidas gave his two cents, "The plan may work."

"Of course it will", Kanan stated, "We came up with it."

"This way, let's go!" Ezra told his comrades.

But before they could proceed they remembered Chopper was still inside his box, as if the series of angry grunts wasn't a red flag.

"Somebody get Chopper." Hera sighed.

* * *

Two Stormtroopers were patrolling the hallways and may even be the only ones inside the building at the time besides the rebels.

"Think we'll find 'em this time?" Stormtrooper number 1 asked.

"We better, I don't want to be the one to report to Lord…." Stormtrooper 2 began to reply before bumping into something big, hairy, and stinky.

"Found me." Zeb stated tauntingly before bashing the two troopers' heads together, knocking them out cold.

The group then moved towards the door at the end of the hall, Chopper quickly used one of his mechanical arms to hack into the door controls, allowing the crew to proceed to the hangar. It was lined with TIE fighters and fuel crates, but the one thing that caught the Rebels' eye was the Imperial shuttle that was currently docked and dormant.

"There's a shuttle, what'd I tell ya?" Kanan said with some pride in his voice.

"You did well." Hera admitted.

The crew then sprinted to the shuttle, but not before something caught Leonidas's eye; his gasp caught his girlfriend's attention, who immediately called out.

"Hera over here!"

Once Hera arrived, her eyes were wide with surprise.

"Every cloud has a silver lining." Leonidas chuckled, "These are military grade shield generators, the ones we were looking for when we attacked the convoy if I'm not mistaken."

"Ezra, Rosa, Zeb!" Hera caught the three rebels' attention, "Grab as much as you can carry, these may make sure that this trip wasn't for nothing."

"The fleet needs them if my recollection is correct." Rosa stated as she activated the anti-gravity feature on the generators, making them easy to push.

The rebels then resumed their sprint to the shuttle as fast as their feet would carry them; that is until Kanan stopped in his tracks, a cold shiver running up his spine, one that was also felt by Ezra.

"Do you feel that?" Ezra asked.

"The cold", Kanan exhaled, "A great darkness, stronger than I've ever felt before."

* * *

They turned around to see Darth Vader himself standing tall, he seemed to just be staring at them and the only sound was his breathing apparatus. It didn't last long though once he activated his blood red lightsaber and slowly began to advance with a squad of stormtroopers running up behind him. But the rebels' attention was soon diverted to the sound of another apparatus that seemed to be originating from the top of the wall, they looked up to see a man wearing Sith Stalker armor, his pale arms had a tattoo on the right arm, his helmet had the infamous T visor of Mandalorians, it was none other than Starkiller, the Dark Assassin. He had two Stalker Company troopers on either side of him who jumped down with him to the ground, landing perfectly in a crouched position. He cracked his neck back and forth as if to taunt his adversaries.

Starkiller took out a lightsaber and activated it, a dark blade came out with the same whistle as Leonidas's. The Mandalorian and Jedi took a triangle formation so they could have a visual on both enemies.

"The Assassin is mine." Leonidas murmured.

Before either of the Jedi could protest, Vader swung his saber at Kanan who easily blocked it, but also noted how much strength the dark lord had in just one hand.

"Hera go, we'll keep these guys occupied." Kanan shouted.

The minute the words left Kanan's mouth, Starkiller sprinted forward with far more speed than any average man should have. Leonidas swung his darksaber at Starkiller, but the assassin easily deflected it with his own and kicked Leonidas back but not knocking him down. Starkiller rocketed forward and swung his saber at Leonidas who barely blocked it in time. Leonidas tried with all his might to push back against the saberlock but the Sith Assassin was a lot stronger than he looked.

Meanwhile the Stormtroopers that accompanied Vader took positions and opened fire on Sabine, Rosa, and Zeb while Hera and Chopper got the shield generators into the shuttle. Vader almost seemed bored with the fight that Kanan was giving him, deflecting each attack slowly and easily as if to taunt the Jedi into doing something reckless.

Darth Vader parried an attack strong enough it knocked Kanan back a few feet, he then seized the opportunity and held out his hand, releasing a force push that knocked Ezra down relatively easily, and it seemed to be a rather light force push, as if the Sith Lord was holding back intentionally. When Kanan lunged forward and swung multiple attacks at the Sith, Vader easily blocked each and grabbed Kanan's hands with one of his own and lifted him off the ground with ease, he then swung around and threw Kanan through the air and into a pile of crates.

Seeing the Jedi down caught Leonidas a bit off guard, a flaw that Starkiller exploited in the blink of an eye. Starkiller swung his Darksaber at Leonidas's left arm, but it didn't through due to the Mandalorian Durasteel that made the armor, however the pain was a different story, the Warlord hissed as the heat from the Darksaber burned his skin; albeit not as much thanks to his armor.

"You forget the one rule of combat, never drop your guard!" Starkiller snarled as he uppercut Leonidas in the chin, sending him skidding a little across the floor.

Starkiller dashed forward and deactivated his saber, needing only his bare, clawed, hands to defeat the Mandalorian. He punched Leonidas just as he was getting back up, the punch made a dent in the Mando's helmet. Starkiller then assumed inhuman speeds as he delivered a volley of punches to the Mandalorian's stomach and chest area before punching him across his helmeted head so hard it sent him a few feet into the air. Leonidas began wheezing for air as the Dark Apprentice walked forward and roundhouse kicked him across the face, placing him back on the floor again.

"The Inquisitor", Starkiller planted his boot on Leonidas's chest, "Must have been weaker than I thought to have lost to the likes of you."

Before the Mando had a chance to reply the Sith Assassin grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air with one clawed hand. Only one question came to his mind.

"What are you?" Leonidas choked out, gasping for air.

"Your worst nightmare!" Starkiller responded.

Ezra attempted to attack Vader, but the Dark lord simply used his force power to grab the boy and hold him in the air and chucking him into the leg of an AT- DP.

"Your master has deceived you", Vader stated in a cold and deep voice, "You can't become a Jedi."

Ezra found his own Lightsaber slowly fighting against his grasp on it and moving slowly towards his throat only hindered by Ezra's attempts to hold it back. When it was within inches of Ezra's throat, Kanan attacked Vader from behind, breaking the Sith's concentration on Ezra to deflect Kanan's strike; freeing Ezra from the force grip.

Inside the shuttle Hera ordered Chopper to get the door to the cockpit opened so they could get off of Lothal. After Chopper grunted in reply, Hera ran out of the shuttle to help the others return fire to the stormtroopers.

Vader was easily overpowering both Kanan and Ezra, he was like a tank! Vader easily won the saberlock Kanan engaged him in and parried Ezra's side attack like it was child's play before swatting him across the field.

Starkiller was currently brawling Leonidas and was clearly winning the fight as he managed to low sweep him to the floor and pick him up by the neck again. This time Leonidas didn't have the strength to escape it.

Sabine saw the situation Leonidas was in and began to contemplate how to save both the Jedi and her boyfriend. She then remembered that Vader and Starkiller were Master and Apprentice. She took out a thermal detonator and handed another to Zeb.

"Rosa, lay down some covering fire, and hope that this works." Sabine told her sister.

"You got it!" Rosa nodded.

Vader was too busy battling Kanan to notice the Rebels' next move, they threw the detonators at the legs of the nearby walkers and when they went off the walker came crashing down towards Vader. Kanan and Ezra force pushed him to the ground to prevent him from fleeing.

Starkiller noticed his master in peril, so he chucked Leonidas towards the shuttle and focused his force energy on the walker debris. Leonidas got back up and sprinted to the shuttle with a slight limp. Sabine greeted him with a hug and obvious relief that Starkiller didn't kill him.

Just as the debris was about to make contact with Vader, it stopped. The crew looked to see Starkiller holding out one hand, using the force to catch the debris, and much to the rebels' surprise he compacted it into a cube before tossing it aside.

"We need to go now!" Hera shouted; the Jedis complied without a second thought and sprinted as fast as they could to the shuttle.

Sabine and Rosa laid down covering fire as the Jedi made their way to the shuttle as it began its take off, but Vader deflected the shots sending one back at Rosa and Sabine hitting them in the head and chest respectively, knocking them down but not killing them thanks to their armor. Leonidas helped Sabine up while Ezra did the same with Rosa.

As the shuttle took off a Stormtrooper with a white shoulder pauldron jogged up to Vader.

"Milord, I will mobilize our fighters to pursue." He stated.

"That won't be necessary, commander", Vader said otherwise, "The rebels will not leave the planet just yet."

Vader then walked towards his apprentice.

"You should have finished off that Mandalorian when you had the chance." Vader stated in a low tone.

"That Mandalorian wasn't worth killing", Starkiller replied, "Saving your life is another story."

Starkiller challenging Vader's orders was nothing new.

"It matters not, my plan is proceeding just as I predicted." Vader stated as he looked to where the shuttle used to be, "Let the rebels stir in fear, you've done your part well, but your role is far from over."

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap!**

 **Sorry for the delay people, but I've been busy. The more reviews I get the harder I work, it motivates me. :D**

 **A/N: It's contest time! This one is a big one, guess the role Starkiller has yet to play and earn a spot in Clan Akaan or get promoted if you are already in the clan. Just leave your prediction in your review and I'll count you as a winner if it is close even** **.**

 **God Bless You All!**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	5. Vader's plot IV

The Rise of Starkiller

Vader's Plot part IV

 **Guten Tag! I'm back with yet another chapter for the Rise of Starkiller! I don't have much to say except for I really appreciate your support and reviews, they really give me the motivation to soldier on!**

 **Announcement: Time to announce the winners of the competition described in the previous chapter, what is Starkiller's role going to be in this story. I only have two participants and two winners, come on guys let's see some more participation, spread the word! Anyway here they are:**

 **SPARTAN – 626**

 **Burke23**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels belongs to Disney, my OCs belong to me, and Yitzhak and Jacob belong to the Horned King II.**

* * *

On Lothal…

The rebels who sat in the passenger seats aboard the hijacked Imperial Shuttle were all weary and downtrodden from the beating they received at the hands of the Sith warriors. Leonidas and Sabine were patching each other up, Leonidas more so then Sabine, a blaster shot was nothing compared to a caved in left armguard and a severely dented helmet; he had some bruising on the side of his face where the helmet was struck and he had a hard time moving his sprung left arm. According to Hera, the wounds should heal quickly. Rosa was sitting next to Ezra, doing her best to ease any thoughts in his head, but that was easier said than done when you just fought a walking tank and his nightmare of an apprentice. Zeb was standing while holding onto the unused safety latch above Leonidas's seat to support him.

"Zeb, make sure they can't track us." Hera's first words to break the eerie silence that cloaked the shuttle.

"Consider it done." Zeb nodded before marching to the cockpit.

"How about you two", Hera asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"I'll live." Sabine responded; not looking away from patching up any wounds she could find, which thankfully was very few.

"I've fought with broken ribs, I can still fight." Leonidas said before wincing and grabbing his left arm, "But I never said it wasn't painful."

Hera couldn't help but smile at his diligence.

"You okay sis?" Sabine asked Rosa.

Rosa nodded.

"Kanan", Ezra asked; a hint of anxiety in his voice, "What was that, the one in the black cape?"

"Another Inquisitor?" Rosa suggested.

"No", Kanan said regretfully; wishing it was just an inquisitor, "Something much worse, a Sith Lord."

"The Ancient enemies to the Jedi." Leonidas clarified.

"H-how do we fight him?" Ezra stammered.

"Fight him?" Kanan repeated as if Ezra was insane, "Ezra we were very fortunate to even survive, the fact that Starkiller was also there is all the more reason to avoid him; that Assassin possesses more force power than the two of us combined, just look what he did to Leonidas without a lightsaber."

Everyone looked at the banged up Mandalorian, who gave a nod of agreement; this enemy was far too powerful for them to face alone.

"Then that settles it", Hera announced, "I'm going to make for orbit so we can jump out of here."

"Hera don't!" Kanan stopped the Twi'lek, "He'll have a blockade of Star Destroyers waiting for us."

"Not to mention that this shuttle is like a slug", Rosa chimed in, "It lacks, weapons and shields. So far we have all just been playing into the Siths' hands."

"Meaning that we could be walking into another trap, doing just what the Sith want us to do, like an animal in a cage." Sabine agreed, "We'd have to smuggle ourselves off of Lothal for a change."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Hera's eyes lit up.

"What are you saying?" Kanan asked.

"I'm saying that we know just the guy to smuggle us off world." Hera replied.

The Mandos of the group pinched the bridges of their noses as realization dawned upon them.

"Not him!" Ezra and Kanan declared in unison.

"Lando." Sabine and Leonidas sighed.

* * *

Imperial Embassy….

Vader stood silently with his back as straight as a plank and his breath as deep as a Rancor's, his apprentice stood in the corner leaning against the wall and tossing his lightsaber up and down to entertain himself. Agent Kallus entered the room with news on the stolen shuttle.

"Milords", Kallus greeted the Sith lord and assassin, "Our scans have verified that the stolen shuttle hasn't attempted to leave Lothal.

"Fear has grounded them." Vader stated, "There is a refugee camp that these rebels have provided aid to in the past."

"Tarkin Town." Kallus clarified, "You suspect that the rebels are hiding there?"

"No, I want you to burn it, the compassion of the rebels is a weakness", Vader elaborated, "One we shall exploit."

"Yes milord." Kallus nodded.

"My apprentice shall be leading the mission, you will accompany him." Vader told Kallus.

"It will be done milord." Starkiller acknowledged with a bow.

Kallus wanted to protest, but he decided against it. When the Sith lord made a decision it would be carried out without question.

Starkiller left the room with Kallus in tow.

"Assemble the flame troopers." Starkiller ordered Kallus.

"Of course sir." Kallus complied.

* * *

Tarkin Town…

The residents of the refugee camp were larger due to the Imperial raids for rebels. Tarkin town seemed to be the last place that the Empire ignored, or so they thought. A Rodian was scanning the horizon through severely rusty Macrobinoculars to see a convoy of Imperial transport vehicles approaching the camp. He quickly ran into the camp shouting:

"Ich kamme Imperia dok!"

|The Imperials are on approach!|

"Great, what else could they possibly take from us?" A human farmer sighed as the vehicles came to a stop and deployed their ramps.

Starkiller walked out with Kallus behind him. He slowly approached the farmer who complained, as if he heard the man; staring down coldly at him, paralyzing him with fear.

"What do you want? You already took our homes, our food, and our land, what more could you wa…" the man shouted in a foolish act of courage only to be impale by the dark assassin's lightsaber.

Everyone gasped as the farmer's limp body hit the floor in front of the assassin's feet.

"We are here to give an example." Starkiller announced as stormtroopers with red markings on their armor and fuel tanks linked to flamethrowers on their backs came out of the other transports, "Of what happens to those who accept help from terrorists that call themselves rebels!"

A flame trooper used his weapon on a hut, setting it ablaze along with anyone too close to it. This sparked a panic, the residents of Tarkin Town were screaming and running for dear life as Starkiller signaled all the other flame troopers to attack. As civilians trampled one another to try to salvage what they could and flee before the flames got them Starkiller ordered the Imperial snipers that accompanied him to target any fleeing residents.

The scout nodded and aimed down his sights with the other scouts present, lining up a fleeing refugees with a headshot, he then gently squeezed the trigger and the sound of sniper rounds echoed among the chaos.

* * *

Back on the stolen shuttle….

Kanan and Hera were in the shuttle's cockpit with a hologram of Lando Calrissian.

" _Why hello Captain Syndulla"_ , the smuggler greeted suavely, _"What a pleasant surprise, what can I do for you?"_

"This is not a social call _Lando_ " Kanan's said with chagrin, "It's business, we need your help to smuggle something off Lothal."

"Past the imperial blockade." Hera chimed in.

" _Y'know if the Empire learns that I got involved it would be the end for me."_ Lando stated, _"I'd be takin an awfully big risk."_

"What do you want?" Kanan sighed.

" _What do ya got?"_ Lando asked.

"Military grade Imperial shield generators." Hera replied with a smirk; the smuggler wouldn't turn down equipment like that.

" _Oooh, now that's equipment I could move."_ Lando contemplated, _"How many we talking about?"_

"Two." Hera lied, not wanting to surrender all of the shield generators.

" _TWO?!"_ Lando repeated with obvious disbelief, _"You are no gambler Hera, offering me two means you got at least six, three is probably fair."_

"Fair? You're taking half!" Hera argued.

" _Those shields won't be that useful if you are dead."_ Lando countered.

"Three it is, do we have a deal?" Kanan cut in before Hera could speak.

" _I'm not on Lothal at the moment, but my droid is."_ Lando explained, _"Go to my operation, and he'll set you up with everything you will need."_

The hologram faded away, darkening the cockpit.

* * *

The two explained the situation to the crew, objections were made and alternatives were suggested; Rosa even offered to hack Lando's droid into cooperating without the payment. Hera was tempted to take Rosa up on her offer but decided against it, who knew when they would need Lando's assistance again? The shuttle soon came upon an open patch of land with a few Killik hive husks around with a vaporater planted into the giant patch of sand. A protocol droid came up to greet them but addressed Hera.

"You must be Lando's droid?" Hera stated.

"Yes ma'am", the protocol droid nodded, "I have prepared everything according to my master's instructions. Is one of you a mechanic?"

"That would be me." Rosa and Sabine exclaimed in unison much to Chopper's apparent chagrin.

As they followed the droid, something caught Leonidas's eyes, a giant plume of black smoke coming from the distance; among the hive husks.

"That's an awful lot of smoke", Leonidas pointed to the cluster of smoke, "If memory serves it's coming from Tarkin town!"

The Mandalorian's words made Ezra's blood run cold. The young Jedi soon snapped out of it though and ran to one of two speeders parked by a metal fence.

"Hey kid!" Zeb shouted before being stopped by Kanan.

"Let him go Zeb." Kanan murmured before nodding towards Leonidas. The Mando got the message and gave a nod of reply before taking the remaining speeder and following the cadet.

* * *

After about five minutes Ezra came upon Tarkin Town, or more correctly to say: what was left of it. Where the refugee camp once stood was now a pile smoke and ashes. Ezra took out his Macrobinoculars and scanned the remains of Tarkin town in hopes of finding someone, all there was to be found were a few burning corpses.

As Leonidas pulled up behind Ezra with his own speeder Ezra murmured.

"There's no one, they're all gone."

"They are examples to the Empire now, an example to the public as to what happens to rebel sympathizers." Leonidas sighed, "Some may have been taken prisoner."

"All I sense is pure evil." Ezra stated.

"Starkiller?" Leonidas asked.

"Without a doubt." Ezra nodded, "Why burn Tarkin Town?"

"The Sith spread fear, it's what makes them strong", Leonidas elaborated with his arms crossed, "This is most likely Vader's orders, Starkiller's hands are what carried them out."

"This happened because of us?" Ezra asked.

"Every action in war comes at a price." Leonidas sighed, "The Empire is making examples of innocent people, these people were fortunate that they took prisoners, my clan was massacred without mercy."

"I'm not afraid, we have allies, and you have saved this crew time and again." Ezra pointed at Leonidas.

"In case you didn't notice, I was flattened by the Dark Assassin, he knew all my tactics, and there's a good chance he knows yours too." Leonidas countered.

"Maybe, but you and I both know that this won't be easy." Ezra continued.

"Unless we stick together and come up with a suitable defense against the Sith, we'll all be butchered by the Empire." Leonidas stated, "In that regard we need to get off Lothal so more innocent people can avoid death."

Ezra slowly nodded and walked towards his speeder, not looking back at the remains of Tarkin Town.

* * *

Leonidas led him back to the team, where they were currently packaging frequency emitters.

"What happened?" Hera asked.

"Tarkin Town was burned down." Leonidas sighed.

"Any survivors?" Rosa asked worriedly.

"Maybe, but we don't know how many", Ezra replied, "There were a lot of bodies among the ashes."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's bust em out, where's my rifle!?" Zeb growled after slamming his fist into his palm.

"No, he'd just be waiting for us, be it Starkiller or Vader, we are outmatched", Kanan then turned his attention to the Twi'lek of the group, "You were right, we need to leave."

"For the good of Lothal." Hera nodded.

"So, what's our plan of escape?" Rosa asked.

"Lando left us some old transponders", Hera gestured to the said objects behind her, "Sabine and Rosa have tuned the signature codes to match this shuttle's."

"So we got ourselves a fistful of decoys and a stolen shuttle" Leonidas deduced, "Sounds like my kind of plan."

"Well, Sabine did come up with it." Rosa spoke up, "I guess she knows how you think."

Both of the said Mandalorians blushed ever so slightly.

The crew loaded up the shuttle and took off into the air, and praying that the plan would work.

* * *

After a few minutes Hera opened the boarding ramp and the Mandalorians of the group along with Zeb pushed a device out of the ship. It then began to float in place, pulsing with a frequency emitter.

"Here's to hoping it works." Leonidas states.

* * *

Aboard Imperial Star Destroyer _Hyperion_ …..

An Imperial officer's frequency scanner sparked to life. The officer turned to Admiral Konstantine,

"Admiral, I'm scanning a spaceship leaving the surface in Sector Four", he reported, "Its transponder coding matches that of the stolen shuttle."

"Have all fighters intercept." Konstantine ordered.

"Sir, I'm scanning an identical transponder in Sector Nine." Another officer announced.

"There must be some mistake, rescan." Konstantine told the officer.

"I'm tracking the same signal in Sectors eleven and five!" a Technician declared.

* * *

Back on the shuttle…

"Looks like the Empire took the bait, their fighters are splitting up." Kanan chuckled.

"Now we make our run." Hera replied.

* * *

Aboard _Hyperion_ ….

"We have a TIE reporting in", an officer announces, "It was a decoy sending out a signal."

"Delta Squadron is reporting a device of the same kind." Another officer declares.

"Order the fighters to destroy those devices, these rebels are attempting to mask their escape." Konstantine deduced.

"Sir another transponder is entering orbit and breaking up." The technician reported.

"Have all ships converge on that signal."

* * *

Aboard shuttle…

"Looks like they figured it out." Kanan smirked.

"Too late boys." Hera had a smirk of her own as she activated the hyperdrive, sending the shuttle into hyperspace.

* * *

On the _Hyperion_ ….

"We lost the signal, they jumped." The technician announced the obvious.

Konstantine sighed, not looking forward to reporting their failure to Vader or to his apprentice.

* * *

Shuttle….

"Never thought I'd say this but thank you Lando Calrissian." Hera stated as she came down the ladder.

Chopper seemed to let out a series of grunts in agreement.

"So if we can't return to Lothal, where are we going?" Kanan asked.

"Is that a trick question?" Leonidas asked, "We have a rebel alliance to call allies."

"Are we sure?" Kanan asked, "Are all sure about his?"

"I think we could just grab the Ghost and lay low for a while, we still have the base on Dantooine." Sabine spoke up.

"I like fighting with Phoenix Squadron, reminds me of the Honor Guard." Zeb stated, "Besides they are counting on us, it wouldn't be right to just abandon them now."

"Ezra, what do you think?" Rosa asked.

"We can't help Lothal now", Ezra replied; recalling the ashes of Tarkin Town, "But I believe that the Rebels can help us get stronger, and with Yitzhak training we'd be a force to be reckoned with."

Kanan looked down, he was clearly outvoted.

* * *

At the Imperial Embassy….

Vader stood at his usual spot, gazing out the window, when a holoterminal began to beep. Kallus stepped up and activated it, catching Starkiller's attention. Admiral Konstantine appeared with a look of regret on his face,

" _Milord, I regret to inform you that the rebels have escaped Lothal."_

Vader simply turned around, "Prepare my ship."

Vader left with his apprentice in tow.

Once he was out of earshot, Konstantine spoke up.

" _Agent Kallus, I'm not sure I understand."_ The confused admiral admitted.

"There is a tracking device hidden on that shuttle", Kallus elaborated, "Everything has gone according to Siths' plan, ready the fleet."

Konstantine nodded as the holoterminal was turned off by the ISB agent.

* * *

With Vader and Starkiller….

"Ready your cruiser, apprentice", Vader told Starkiller, "Your squad will be needed."

"Of course my master." Starkiller gave a quick bow of acknowledgement.

"You have done well so far, try to keep it that way." Vader growled as he upped his pace and walked ahead of his apprentice.

"I do not aim to disappoint", Starkiller murmured, "Master."

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap!**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**

 **Time for another contest, this one is going to be a bit easier than the last, but if you can guess it then a promotion is guaranteed in clan Akaan, so to all you regular readers out there this should be a freebee. I'm planning to have Starkiller take interest in a female Darksider, if you can guess who it is then you know the prize :)**

 **A/N: More reviews = less waiting time for an update.**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	6. Vader's plot V

The Rise of Starkiller

Vader's plot part V

 **Guten Tag! How are you all? I'm back with the final part of the Vader's Plot arc, the story itself is far from over though :)!**

 **A/N: I'm glad I got so many contestants for last chapter's contest :D, I know I caused some confusion when I said Sith so I changed it to Darksider, but even then we have some winners, I thank you all for your participation, the winners are:**

 **Vakama**

 **SPARTAN-626**

 **Burke23**

 **Guest (review as Akaan Trainee from now on)**

 **Congratulations to you all, Burke23 you have kept your streak of winning each of my contests and have earned yourself the rank of Akaan Veteran, the highest rank that can be received, but you'll earn a gold star for each contest you win from this point forward. SPARTAN-626 your participation and frequent victories in my competitions have not gone unnoticed, you got yourself the rank of Akaan Colonel, one rank below Akaan Veteran, congratulations. Vakama you have earned the Rank of Akaan Major, good job!**

 **A/N: The chapters will take a while for me to complete due to schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and brainstorming. But rest assured, this story continues no matter what!**

 **Disclaimer: Star War rebels is not my property, my OCs are.**

* * *

Aboard the stolen shuttle….

The hijacked shuttle finally exited hyperspace, arriving at the location of the rebel fleet. Suspicious of a solo imperial shuttle just exiting hyperspace, two A – wings were placed on either side of the shuttle, prepared to shoot it down at a moment's notice.

"Phoenix home, this is Ghost, away team", Hera reported through the shuttle's multicommunicator, "Clearance code 1-2-1-8-1-5."

The voice of a rebel technician answered the Twi'lek, _"Your code checks out, welcome back Ghost team."_

The shuttle had been given the go-ahead by the technician and proceeded to the flagship _Liberator_ , the Phoenix pilots now serving as escorts as opposed to death squads. The imperial shuttle hovered by the side of the flagship as the boarding dock extended and locked on.

As the rebels exited the hijacked vehicle, the grumpy astromech Chopper began to let out a series of frantic robotic noises to catch the crew's attention.

"A transmitter on the shuttle?" Leonidas repeated what Chopper said with shock.

"Activated moments ago." Sabine finished the sentence.

"We need to move ASAP, we got a fight coming!" Rosa exclaimed as she followed Hera to the bridge, sprinting all the while.

"What does that mean?!" Ezra asked.

"It means we just did what the Empire wanted us to do, again!" Leonidas replied as he ran to the bridge with Sabine in tow.

"The Imperial fleet has tracked us to the Rebel fleet!" Kanan shed some light on Leonidas's rather enigmatic response; albeit just as worried and frantically.

* * *

On the _Liberator's_ bridge…

Commander Sato and Ahsoka Tano were in the middle of discussing future battle plans and targets, before being interrupted by a certain green skinned Twi'lek.

"Commander Sato!" Hera exclaimed as the rest of the crew followed in behind her, "We need to get the fleet out of here!"

"What? Why?!" Sato asked quizzically.

"The shuttle was tracked." Rosa shed some light.

"Commander, we are detecting a ship entering our sector!" a rebel bridge officer reported.

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't a Star Destroyer that entered, but a single TIE fighter, a TIE fighter advanced to be precise. Instead of the normal hexagonal shaped wings that average TIE fighters possessed this one had more rectangular shaped wings with a bit of machinery sticking out of the back of the cockpit. Its pilot: Darth Vader!

"It's just one TIE fighter, no other ships are present." The bridge officer explained as he pulled up a visual hologram of the surrounding area to show that it was true, it was just one fighter versus a fleet!

"Move Phoenix Squad to intercept." Commander Sato ordered to the soldier.

"We'll be lucky if they survive." Leonidas thought to himself, "Especially if the pilot is who we all fear it is."

* * *

The Squad of red uniformed rebels got into their respective A–wings, vacating the hangar one at a time when the signal was given for deployment. When the entire squad was in the air they began to take formation, awaiting the squad leader's orders. The pilot in the green painted A-wing turned on his comlink and began to deliver orders and field status.

"Fighter coming in at mark 3." Phoenix leader stated.

The TIE advanced easily maneuvered past them and released a volley of plasma fire on the cruiser it passed over before coming up on the _Liberator_.

* * *

"He's coming right for us." Ezra exclaimed.

"How could he have known which ship we were on?" Rosa stated.

"He's a Sith Lord." Leonidas thought to himself, too focused on his thoughts to voice it though.

Vader then pulled up so he was able to make a run on the _Liberator's_ bridge, more specifically its unprotected power conduit. The caped Sith opened fire and successfully turned the power conduit into a miniature firecracker. The crew on the bridge had to maintain their footing as the ship shook upon the blaster bolts' impact.

"How is one man besting our entire squadron?" Commander Sato stated with disbelief.

"Your pilots are outmatched, commander." Hera exclaimed before making a beeline for the Ghost.

"What are you doing?" Kanan asked.

"Getting involved." Hera replied somewhat mockingly.

"Not without me you're not." Kanan mumbled to himself before following her back to the Ghost.

"Let's roll!" Sabine announced.

"Come on, we got a battle to win!" Leonidas sprinted with Sabine to the ship.

"Ezra, let's go!" Rosa declared.

Before Ezra could comply, he was stopped by Ahsoka.

"Mind if I tag along?" Ahsoka asked.

"The more the merrier."

* * *

Two Phoenix pilots were on Vader's tail, trying to gun down the cyborg giant of a Sith. Vader dodged the rounds by spinning agilely, and in doing so he performed a technique the likes of which even Hera has never seen. He began to make his ship barrel through the air, spinning all the while and made him face his pursuers, he then opened fire and gunned down both pilots; their screams heard by the Rebels via holocom.

The crew piled into the Ghost, each taking up a position of value for the dogfight.

"Everyone, check in!" Hera ordered.

"Tail gun check." Zeb announced.

"Turret check." Sabine declared.

"Nose Gun check." Ezra stated.

"Damage control check." Rosa had her tools at the ready, prepared to fix any malfunctioning circuitry.

"Radar check." Leonidas synced his helmet to the airspace radar.

"Alright everyone, do Mom and Dad proud." Hera proceeded as the Ghost took flight and joined the battle.

* * *

Vader made his way over the front of the _Liberator_ and set his sights on the ship's shield generator, destroying it like it did the bridges backup power.

"We've lost our shield!" a rebel technician shrieked as the bridge shook in response to the gunfire's impact.

Vader pressed a button on his TIEs holocom, "Starkiller, begin your attack."

" _Yes, master."_ Starkiller acknowledged.

* * *

A barrage of heavy cannon fire bombarded the _Liberator's_ engines. The crew of the ship in peril were scrambling to find the source. Commander looked out the bridge window to see a Star Destroyer had de-cloaked and was responsible for the damage being done to the _Liberator_. It was significantly different from the average destroyer, it had the Empire's symbol of loyalty painted on its nose and was black instead of grey and its cannons were much more powerful. This was Starkiller's personal cruiser, the _Bain of the Phantasms_.

"Sir, we have multiple tangos coming from that cruiser, fast ones too!" a rebel bridge officer shouted.

A squad of TIE Hunters came flying into the battle with a unique stealth ship leading them known as the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller's transport fighter; recently upgraded for combat not just stealth.

"This is Stalker Leader to stalker squadron, spread out and devastate these scum!" Starkiller ordered through his multicommunicator.

" _Yes sir!"_ Came the response from the stalker company pilots.

The hunters spread out; except for two that flew alongside their master, shooting down every A – wing unfortunate enough to cross their path. A Hunter swooped underneath a rebel frigate and gunned down an A – wing pursuing one of his comrades. The void of space was soon filled with blaster fire, screams over the com channel, explosions on both sides (mostly from Phoenix unfortunately), and constant exchanges of orders on the bridge to defend against the TIE Hunters.

Starkiller was being pursued by two Phoenix pilots who were desperately attempting to gun him down.

"This is Phoenix 7, got the leader in my sights, requesting backup." The pilot requested into his multicommunicator.

" _Roger that, Phoenix 12 and 16 are enroot."_

Two additional A – Wings came in and began to fire at the surprisingly agile ship; its size betrays speculation.

Starkiller activated the afterburners on his ship and sped ahead of the Rebels before cloaking.

" _The enemy has cloaked watch your secto… ahh!"_ a pilot screamed as the Rogue Shadow de-cloaked and gunned him down.

" _He's behind us, he's behin…"_ another fighter's frequency went to static.

"Stalker squad, mop up." Starkiller ordered his men to gun down any rebel fighters who attempt to follow him to his next target: the _Liberator's_ escape pods.

* * *

"Leo, what's going on?" Hera asked the Mandalorian; the crew had been too focused on Vader's ship to notice the ambush.

"An ambush, a giant amount of very fast hostiles are gunning down our fighters." Leonidas reported, "Tuning in to the com chatter."

Leonidas's eardrums were blasted with reports of casualties and fighter orders, and mentions of a black Star Destroyer.

"He didn't come alone, he brought his apprentice!" Leonidas exclaimed.

"How can you be sure?" Kanan asked.

"Who else is this tenacious?" Leonidas replied with a question, "According to reports the _Liberator_ has already lost its engines, shields, and the escape pods are next!"

"Incoming transmission from Commander Sato." Hera exclaimed.

" _Phoenix Home to Ghost, we are getting ripped apart by Imperial TIE hunters, they've almost completely decimated what's left of Phoenix Squadron, they are setting their sights on the frigates!"_

"The force is strong in him." Ahsoka spoke softly.

"Copy that, Phoenix 4 and 10, fall in on me, the rest of you protect the frigates, we need to take this Sith down." Hera ordered.

The Ghost chased Vader back to the flagship to witness the carnage Starkiller and his men have wreaked on the fleet. Two frigates were now nothing more than debris, the flagship was completely disabled and fighters on both sides were getting torn to pieces, sending waves of grief over their compatriots. Nevertheless the gunners on the Ghost kept shooting at Vader's fighter, but the Sith Lord skillfully dodged the cannon fire and continued on his path to the _Liberator_.

* * *

Meanwhile the Rogue Shadow was making short work of the escape pods launched from the destroyed frigates before setting his sights on the Ghost. Starkiller rocketed toward the Ghost's six and opened fire.

"Another one! You've got to be kidding me!" Zeb complained before shooting at the Assassin's spaceship.

Ezra felt a wave of immense hatred, fury, and cold wash over him, the other two Jedi aboard also felt it.

"It's that feeling again, it's so cold, it's coming from two people." Ezra shuddered.

"There are two Sith in this fight." Ahsoka finished the thought.

"The Dark Lord." Ezra started.

"And the Dark Apprentice." Kanan finished.

"We need to get out of here than." Leonidas exclaimed, "This is a losing fight, we need to salvage what forces we can before the alliance is nothing more than space debris!"

The Jedi in the crew didn't hear the Mando, they seemed to be in a meditative state of mind. Unknown to them, so were the Sith.

"The apprentice yet lives." Vader spoke softly; a flash of memories attacked Ahsoka's mind all at once not a second later.

The Shili Jedi felt weak and fell back for a moment, luckily Kanan caught her. As the Jedi looked up, the TIE fighter advanced changed its flight path away from the bridge.

" _Captain Syndulla, whatever you're doing, keep it up!"_ Commander Sato's voice rang over the comlink.

Deciding to take Leonidas's advice, Kanan spoke up.

"Commander, we need to get the remainder of fleet out of here before those TIE hunters tear us apart!"

" _I_ w _on't abandon the Liberator."_ Sato argued.

"We don't have much of a choice in the matter sir!" Hera countered, "Without a hyperdrive you need to abandon ship!"

The argument was cut off by a rebel technician.

"Sir we have incoming Star Destroyers in Sector 5!"

"More of them!?" Sato exclaimed.

* * *

Sure enough three more Star Destroyers emerged, it was also a signal to Starkiller and his men.

"This is Stalker leader to Stalker Squadron, return to the cruiser and ready a salvage team." Starkiller ordered to Major Kingston; the cruiser's bridge officer.

" _Acknowledged Lord Starkiller."_ Squad leader Slasher replied.

All the TIE hunters ceased fire and began to fly back to the _Bain of the Phantasms_ ; much to the Rebel Fleet's relief. After the course of five minutes the fighters were all safely aboard their master's cruiser, the black star destroyer cloaked itself from sight and moved into the designated position.

"The Hunters are disengaging!" Sabine exclaimed with relief.

"It doesn't make any sense though." Hera mused, "They were winning the fight, why back out…. Unless we are the targets!"

" _Orders, sir?"_ Konstantine asked.

"Move your Destroyers to block their escape but hold your fire." Vader replied calmly, "I want these rebels alive."

Vader resumed his fire upon the Ghost, causing multiple damages for Rosa to repair.

"It's now or never, Commander!" Kanan told Hera.

" _I regretfully agree. All hands, abandon ship."_ Sato exclaimed, _"You need to keep that fighter occupied!"_

"We seem to have his attention." Leonidas stated.

The Ghost rocketed towards the Star Destroyers with Vader in pursuit.

"There is suddenly a lot to do back here!" Zeb exclaimed as he tried to shoot the Sith.

"Sorry to ruin your fun, Zeb", Hera continued, "But I'm ordering Chopper to divert all power to the hyperdrive, that includes the cannons."

Chopper seemed to grunt in confirmation as he inserted his tweezer-like hands into a control conduit. Sabine instantly took notice to the cease in cannon fire.

"Hera, what are you doing?!" Sabine exclaimed.

"Something only Hera Syndulla would even think about doing." Rosa replied via intercom.

* * *

Aboard the cruiser _Hyperion_ ….

An Imperial officer approached Admiral Konstantine; his cap covering up his eyes.

"Admiral, Lord Vader has separated one of the rebel ships from what's left of their fleet."

"Then that is our primary target." Konstantine stated.

* * *

Back in the space battle….

The _Liberator_ jettisoned its escape pods with the surviving rebels inside.

"Ghost crew, the escape pods are secure and jettisoned." Sato reported through his comlink, "Ready all remaining cruisers for hyperspace!"

" _Copy that, Commander",_ Hera replied, _"We'll meet you at…"_

" _Commander Sato!"_ a new voice belonging to Leonidas Akaan cut in with a sense of urgency in his voice, _"I'm detecting multiple contacts coming towards your pod!"_

"What!?" Sato was baffled.

He looked through the front view of the escape pod to see multiple Imperial Pod interceptor class shuttles coming in fast. Each shuttle flew over an escape pods and folded up its wings a bit to allow the magnetic belly of it to capture each pod.

"We've been intercepted by Imperial Pod shuttles!"

* * *

Aboard the Ghost…

"Hold on Commander we are coming to you!" Hera exclaimed.

" _Negative, negative Ghost Crew, get out of here and rendezvous with the fleet!"_ Sato said otherwise.

Hera opened her mouth to speak but a look from Ahsoka made her think about her response.

"As you wish sir." Hera relented, "Chopper, redirect all deflectors astern!"

Chopper seemed to grunt as to question the Twi'lek's tactics.

"The Star Destroyers aren't the ones firing on us", Hera shouted, "Now do it fast!"

Chopper complied.

"Target moving into range." A bridge officer stated the obvious.

"Activate the tractor beam on my signal." Konstantine ordered.

"Hera!" Kanan exclaimed uncomfortably.

"Wait… wait." Hera murmured.

The Ghost along with the pursuing TIE fighter got closer to the closing gap between the two cruisers, once they reached the center of the gap….

"NOW!" Konstantine declared.

"Gotcha." Hera murmured with a smirk.

The Ghost jumped into hyperspace and the tractor beam caught another ship; you guessed it, Vader's!

* * *

Aboard the _Hyperion_ ….

"Status report on the rebel craft?" Konstantine asked.

"Sir, we've locked onto _a_ ship", the officer reported somewhat nervously, "But it's Lord Vader's ship."

An awkward silence swept across the bridge. After a few seconds Konstantine broke the silence.

"R-r-release him immediately."

The officer complied.

"It's not your fault." Konstantine stated; inducing a sigh of relief from the officer.

"But Lord Vader won't know that." He added, reinstalling terror in the poor officer.

* * *

Safe Haven….

Chopper was outside the Ghost, repairing damages to the cockpit's cover. Ahsoka sat alone inside that room, either contemplating the Sith they encountered only moments ago, or mourning the capture of Commander Sato; possibly both. Her thoughts were cut off by the two force sensitives entering the room.

"Ahsoka, Hera said you wanted to speak with us." Kanan stated.

"Please come in." Ahsoka replied.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Ezra asked respectfully.

"I am, thanks." Ahsoka nodded, "I wanted to ask you about the Sith you encountered on Lothal."

"Which one?" Ezra asked, "The one that broke Leonidas's ribs and busted up his armor, or the one in the black cape that was twice my size?"

"Neither of them were Inquisitors, they are far stronger, all the emotion fueled their prowess." Kanan stated, "I haven't felt anything like it since…"

"The Clone Wars." Ahsoka finished.

"Yeah."

"Ahsoka, do you know who or what he is?" Ezra asked.

Ahsoka paused for a moment, "No, I do not. But I do know that they are all coming now."

"We have to be ready to fight back." Ezra declared.

"We must find the strength to fight." Kanan added, "but the greater courage is knowing when not fight."

"Something I sure could've use back on Lothal." Leonidas's voice came in with a tone of humor in them.

It wasn't just him, but the rest of the crew onboard.

"Good to know that the Sith didn't beat the sense of humor out of you." Sabine gave him a playful slug on the shoulder.

"We'll be beside you either way." Rosa chimed in.

Ahsoka turned around in deep thought a few seconds later, thoughts flooding every corridor of her mind.

* * *

Aboard the _Hyperion_ ….

Vader walked into the bridge's holoterminal area where Konstantine and Kallus were waiting.

"With their flagship decimated and the loss of nearly half of their frigates the rebel fleet has been shattered." Kallus stated in a somewhat narrative tone of voice.

"If you don't mind me asking milord, where are the prisoners that your apprentice intercepted?" Konstantine asked.

"Right here." Starkiller's voice penetrated the room as he entered with four Stalker company soldier kicking the high ranking officers among the hostages forwards and onto the floor.

Starkiller than kneeled before his master, "Your will has been fulfilled, Master."

"Excellent work", Vader said with the smallest hint of pride in his voice, "You have done well my apprentice."

Starkiller nodded in acknowledgement.

"Take them to brig, interrogate them." Vader ordered.

Starkiller signaled his troops to do so and they dragged the rebel officers to the designated location. The other hostages were executed.

"Clear the bridge." Vader continued.

The two imperials nodded and left as Starkiller and Vader kneeled before the holoterminal; the room darkened.

A hologram of Darth Sidious materialized.

" _Lord Vader, Starkiller, have you dealt with the rebels in the Lothal system?"_ the Emperor asked in his scratchy voice.

"Yes master. Starkiller has successfully captured the rebel fleet commander, and the flagship has been destroyed." Vader replied.

" _And yet I sense in you, something more to your victory."_ Palpatine continued.

"The apprentice of Anakin Skywalker yet lives." Vader explained, "And is in league with these rebels."

" _Are you certain?"_

"It is her."

" _This is an opportunity we cannot let pass",_ the Emperor chuckled, _"Skywalker's apprentice could lead us to other lost Jedi."_

"Such as Kenobi." Starkiller stated; Kenobi was a target he had been wanting to hunt for a long time.

" _Your apprentice seems to have the situation well in hand, Vader"_ , Sidious continued, _"But if what you say is true then he may need some assistance, two more Inquisitors shall be joining the hunt."_

"If I may, milord." Starkiller stated, "I would like to see if they won't slow this hunt down."

" _You speak a valid point, boy."_ The Emperor gave his two cents, _"Perhaps you can give them a rite of passage and prove that you aren't expendable."_

"I will not fail you, milord." Starkiller said respectfully.

* * *

 **Annnnnd that's a wrap! Read, review, and enjoy!**

 **A/N: Please forgive me if the space battle wasn't that good, they aren't really my forte so please show mercy XD. Also I got a challenge for all writers who are willing to listen, I'd like to see a Star Wars rebels story featuring the pairing guessed by the contest winners. I can even lend a hand if you'd like.**

 **A/N: More reviews = less waiting for update XD**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	7. Inquisitor Acquisition

The Rise of Starkiller

Inquisitor Acquisition

 **Guten Tag mein freundes, how are you all doing? I'm back with another chapter for the Rise of Starkiller! This one is an original script as well.**

 **A/N: A big thank you to Burke23 for helping me with a name for the Seventh Sister, we are naming her Sunev; which is Venus spelled backwards. Why you may ask? Because Venus is the planet closest to the sun, Sunev is Venus spelled backwards making it the farthest away from the sun (obviously this is a just a clever wordplay Burke23 came up with, and when he puts his mind to something he is GOOD.)**

 **Disclaimer: Star wars is property of Lucasfilms and Disney, all I own are my OCs.**

* * *

Aboard the _Bain of the Phantasms_ …..

Commander Sato was electrified by Starkiller's Sith lightning, throwing him back against the cell wall.

"You have been rather uncooperative Commander." Starkiller chuckled as he zapped him again, "All you have to do is give me the location of your terrorist cells and I will end you quick and painlessly."

"Go to hel…." Sato murmured before receiving an extra dose of lightning, courtesy of Starkiller.

"Tsk tsk", Starkiller taunted Sato, "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

A Stalker Soldier walked into the cell and bowed before Starkiller.

"Milord, we have a message from Darth Vader, he is requesting your presence on the bridge."

"Tell him that I will be there shortly." Starkiller ordered as he electrocuted Sato one last time.

When the trooper left, Starkiller leaned in towards Sato, "Consider yourself lucky, for your sake you better be more talkative when I return."

The Dark Assassin made his way to the cruiser's bridge, his men saluting him as he walked by. As he entered the bridge, Major Kingston walked beside him to fill him in.

"Milord, Lord Vader wishes to speak with you", Kingston stated, "We have him on hold."

"Patch him through, Kingston." Starkiller ordered; the second in command complied and hit some controls, pulling up a hologram of Vader.

Starkiller kneeled before it.

"What is thy will, my master?"

" _Your presence is expected on the Executor, the Emperor has selected two Inquisitors for you to test, fail and you die, succeed and their fate is in your hands."_

"Very well, master", Starkiller nodded respectfully, "Which do I face first?"

" _Both."_

"Both at once?" Starkiller asked with a chuckle, "Sounds like my kind of fight."

Vader was pleased that his apprentice welcomed more destruction and risk without even hesitating.

" _The Emperor himself will be watching, do not disappoint him."_ Vader stated firmly.

The hologram faded.

"Set a course for the _Executor_ , Kingston." Starkiller ordered the Major, "And prepare a welcoming guard for when I return."

"Yes milord." Kingston nodded, "Your confidence is to be admired."

Starkiller didn't like it when his men complimented him unnecessarily, but it seems to have become a habit.

"Resume interrogating Sato", Starkiller ordered, "If he hasn't cracked by the time I return, we'll go to plan B."

* * *

Aboard the _Executor_ …

The Emperor stood at the bridge; which had been cleared out completely in light of the upcoming fight, Vader was the only other person present. After a few minutes the doors opened, a male and a female Inquisitor walked in, the female had her double bladed lightsaber clipped to her belt instead of her back like her male compatriot did. The female was of Mirialan species, her eyes had black sclera and a yellow color; Mirialans always had this eye color when converting to the ways of the Sith. The male was of unknown species, he possessed a pair of milky gray eyes with slit pupils that he seemed to be incapable of blinking; instead he blinked with a second set of eyelids that were underneath the outer layer, like a reptile. The male was as bulky and well-built as Zeb if not more so, and seemed to possess a somewhat confident air about him.

The two kneeled before the Emperor.

"Milord, you honor us with your presence", the Mirialan said respectfully to the robed Sith, "How may we serve thee?"

"You and the Fifth Brother have been summoned here to prove your worth", Sidious said in his raspy voice, "Succeed and you will advance in this Empire and play a role in the rebel alliance's demise."

"We are honored, my liege." The Fifth Brother said in a gruff voice.

"You two will face my assassin, Darth Starkiller." Vader stated.

"Forgive me milord", the Seventh Sister spoke up, "But I have never heard of this 'Darth Starkiller."

"That's because the people outside of the Empire rarely survive to speak of him." Vader replied, "Kill him, and the rewards will be boundless, fail and your fate will be decided by him."

"We will not fail you." The fifth brother said.

"Where can we find this Starkiller?" the Seventh Sister asked.

"You are mistaken, I didn't summon you here to assign you the mission, I've summoned you here so I could watch you fight." The Emperor chuckled as the sound of a blast door opening came from behind the two Inquisitors.

The Assassin walked in, his helmet on and hands ready to draw his sabers. He was taller than the Seventh Sister but was shorter than the fifth brother; whom much like Vader was a tank. He kept walking until he was within earshot of the Inquisitors.

"Kill him." Vader ordered calmly.

* * *

The Brother and Sister drew their blades while the Dark Apprentice drew two lightsabers and ignited them, one was black, the other red; he gripped them in the art of Shien.

The three combatants eyed each other, slowly pacing around the spacious bridge, waiting to see who would make the first move. The Mirialan of the three went for the first strike with a force powered dash at Starkiller, she swung he saber; which was in single blade mode, at the assassin but it was easily deflected. The brother followed his comrade's lead and attacked Starkiller from the side.

The target was ready however and force pushed the bulky alien back with relative ease. The Brother and Sister moved beside each other, eyeing the assassin.

"Is this your best?" Starkiller asked.

"No." The seventh sister stated as she raised her hand outward.

"This is." The Fifth Brother finished and raised his hand as well.

A combined force blast was sent Starkiller's way, knocking him upward into the ceiling, but his clawed hands dug in with ease, breaking the impact and dropping back down, landing on his feet. The Inquisitors rushed him, the male swung at his stomach while the female swung at his back. Starkiller blocked both with one lightsaber each; a stalemate was obvious.

The Emperor chuckled at the duel, violence always pleased him. Vader remained silent and still as a statue.

Starkiller released a wave of energy from his body, knocking his adversaries back; he then went on the offensive and targeted the brother. The Fifth Brother switched his saber to double blade mode upon seeing the assassin's attack. The two male Sith exchanged blows and parries until the Seventh Sister jumped at the Assassin in an attempt to surprise him. Starkiller kicked the Mirialan away with incredible force, knocking her into the wall before turning his attention back to the Fifth Brother.

The assassin parried the reptilian humanoid's saber upwards, allowing him to unleash Sith lightning on his exposed chest. The torrent weakened him enough to be thrown through the air and beside his Mirialan partner. Starkiller then walked towards the two Inquisitors who got up, but barely.

The two had enough energy to resume the fight, both holding their dual bladed sabers at the ready. Starkiller chuckled at this but also admired their fortitude. He began to drag his sabers across the ground as his pace quickened, lightning escaped from his palms and into the sabers, giving them an electrical punch; as he swung them at the Inquisitors the air seemed crackle as the electric waves emanated from the burning blades.

As the electrified sabers made contact with the red blades it seemed to give the Inquisitors a bit of an electric shock. The electricity wore the two down with each clash of the sabers, until the Fifth Brother's fatigue became almost too much for him to bear. Starkiller slammed his fist into the ground, releasing a wave of force energy that acted like an earthquake, knocking his two foes into the air; he jumped up as well and time seemed to slow through the Siths' eyes, combat did make seconds seem like minutes and minutes feel like hours after all.

Starkiller released the restraints on his control and his body danced with electricity, activating force fury. He unleashed an insanely large torrent of Sith Lightning from his palms at the two airborne Inquisitors, hitting them dead in the stomachs and keeping them in the air. After 10 seconds that felt like 10 hours to the Inquisitors, they were thrown into the wall yet again. The Fifth Brother couldn't find the strength to stand and fell into a state of unconsciousness; but the Mirialan stood up, albeit with much difficulty.

"You were trained well, but not well enough!" Starkiller stated as he slowly walked towards the Seventh Sister; slightly impressed with her tenacity.

"You're not so bad yourself." The Seventh Sister replied with what the Assassin could've sworn was in a flirtatious tone.

"Then I am sorry to end this now." Starkiller retorted in an identical tone as he shot lightning from his hands.

The Mirialan released red lightning from her hands, colliding with Starkiller's purple lightning; both sides struggling to overpower the other. The Emperor was cackling like a maniac from the event unfolding before him as the lightning lit up the bridge. The purple lightning began to gradually push the red lightning back to its owner. The Seventh Sister was by her own reflected lightning along with the Assassin's; sending her flying through the air and onto the ground, now too weak to get back up. The Dark Apprentice used the force and lifted both the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister up and landed them a few meters from the Emperor's feet.

"Good, good, you have trained him well Lord Vader." The Emperor chuckled with a slow clap; Vader merely nodded in approval.

Starkiller crossed his arms across his chest; sabers still active pointing at the ceiling, and bowed.

"Now boy, decided their fate." The Emperor ordered; the Inquisitors looking at the Assassin, struggling to prop themselves up.

Starkiller stood quiet for a few moments before deactivating his sabers and clipping them to his belt. He extended his hand and helped the Seventh Sister up and then assisted the Fifth Brother up.

"These two are powerful, too powerful to simply dispose of, I'd like them to become a part of Stalker Company, be a part of my elite troop." Starkiller gave his decision to the Emperor.

"Very well", Sidious reluctantly agreed, "You two serve Darth Starkiller from now until the day you die or if he decides to release you from his command."

"Your will, milord." The Inquisitor Duo kneeled as best they could.

"You have proven yourself an asset, Starkiller." The emperor continued, "You will play a role in this alliance's fall."

"It is my honor, your excellency." Starkiller kneeled along with his two new allies.

"Leave now, await my instructions from your cruiser, we shall bring the alliance to its knees."

"As you wish, milord." Starkiller complied with the Inquisitors not far behind.

* * *

Once they had left, the Emperor spoke to Vader.

"His power grows stronger every day, it will only be a matter of time before he attempts to overthrow us." The Emperor growled.

"His loyalty prevents any betrayal, he won't disobey." Darth Vader stated, "He was trained to never defy the Empire."

"Don't underestimate him, need I remind you that you almost died at his hands." The Emperor continued.

* * *

Back with the three Assassins….

The walk back to the shuttle was quiet for a while before the Starkiller spoke up.

"What are your names? Your actual names?" Starkiller asked firmly.

"We don't have a real names." The Fifth brother said in a low growl.

"Then you are getting one right now." Starkiller chuckled.

"Very well, master." The Seventh Sister reluctantly nodded.

"Seventh Sister", the Dark Apprentice addressed the female Inquisitor, "You shall now be known as Sunev, the Darkest Star."

The Mirialan seemed pleased with her new name.

"Fifth Brother", Starkiller turned his attention to the grey alien, "You shall now be known as Brutus, the embodiment of Strength, deceit, and mercilessness."

"Very well, master." The newly named Brutus gave a bow before increasing his pace a bit, not wanting to show weakness in front of the Stormtroopers.

"Your tenacity reminds me much of my own behavior, you will serve me well, apprentice." Starkiller addressed the Mirialan.

"I will serve you loyally, and faithfully." Sunev replied with a suggestive smirk.

Much to Starkiller's surprise she stroked her hand across his helmet before upping her pace as well.

Starkiller stood still for a few seconds, registering her actions, before shaking them off and increasing his pace to catch up with the Inquisitors; who were surprisingly quick despite their injuries.

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap! Read review, and enjoy!**

 **A/N: I'd like to thank Burke23 for creating that little part at the ending with Sunev and Starkiller, it was really fun to write. Female Sith tend to be flirty and deadly, if you've played SWTOR then you will know what I mean XD.**

 **A/N: Lightsaber fights aren't really my forte, so please be merciful to me XD I've been very busy so please forgive the short chapter.**

 **The more reviews I get the quicker the next update will come!**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	8. Dark Side Triad

The Rise of Starkiller

The Dark Side Triad

 **Hey everyone! Who's looking forward to the Force Awakens? I am!**

 **I'd like to apologize for the wait, it is mostly due to a snafu on my part, I was intending to skip to Blood Sisters, but I forgot about the episode: Always two there are. So here I am with a half-finished chapter under my belt, but on the bright side the wait for the next chapter may not be long, however that depends on the amount of reviews I get :) they do wonders for an author's confidence. And I'm hoping for at least 10 reviews per chapter :D**

 **A/N: If you could help spread the word about this story like you did with my previous one, I'd be much obliged**

 **The title of this chapter is also the title of what the Seventh Sister, Fifth Brother, and Starkiller are called. Pretty nifty huh?**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Disney, I only own my OCs.**

* * *

Aboard the rebel cruiser _Savior_ ….

With the _Liberator's_ destructionand the loss of Commander Sato, a power vacuum was created for Sato's replacement. The briefing room was filled with all possible replacements, including the Mandalorians among the alliance. The room was filled with overlapping conversation, making the dialogue incomprehensive. When Ahsoka Tano entered the room, everyone ceased their banter and paid attention to what the Togruta had to say.

"As you all know, we are here to determine a suitable replacement for Commander Sato, we need a fleet commander in order to get back in the fight." Ahsoka said calmly; a hint of sorrow was evident in her voice.

Surprisingly no one in the room volunteered, they all seemed to shift uncomfortably, and the Jedi couldn't blame them, the position of a fleet commander required courage, years of combat experience, and cunning, something that these militia soldiers didn't have. Ahsoka sighed, she could sense their worry and fear about the position. One hand was raised after two minutes of silence; it belonged to none other than Yitzhak Diluvium.

"I'd like to volunteer my services to the fleet as its commander, Master Tano", Yitzhak gave a salute, "You may not remember me, but I remember you, we fought alongside one another in the Clone Wars after the battle of Mandalore."

"Yitzhak Diluvium, I heard talk about you from your cadets, I guess I didn't believe it until I've seen it." Ahsoka gave a soft smile, "What makes you qualified for the position?"

"I've commanded an army before, I've trained Mandalore's best and brightest, and I'm no stranger to combat, don't let my age fool you." Yitzhak said with a chuckle.

"Very well, until we rescue Sato you will be this fleet's commander", Ahsoka nodded.

"It's an honor to fight alongside you again, ma'am." Yitzhak saluted.

The meeting adjourned shortly after; time was something they didn't have much of, they were being hunted after all. Leonidas approached his mentor; with Sabine not far behind.

"Cadet Trainer to Fleet Commander, huh?" Leonidas joked.

"This is merely temporary, once we get Sato back its back to drill instructor." Yitzhak stated.

"You'll be a great leader." Sabine said with a smile.

"We can only hope", Yitzhak chuckled, "My first order as Fleet Commander is to send you on a mission."

"Who else will be attending this mission, sir!" Sabine and Leonidas saluted in unison.

"The _Liberator_ had the majority of the alliances' medical supplies, I need you two, Jacob, Chopper, and Zeb to go investigate an abandoned Republic medical station; it may have what we need." Yitzhak explained.

"Understood Commander Yitzhak!"

"Good luck you two and keep your guard up, the imperial holonet is abuzz with talk about a Dark Side Triad", Yitzhak said with a great deal of urgency in his voice, "We have every right to assume that Starkiller is one of; if not the leader, of this Triad."

"I'll make sure history doesn't repeat itself." Leonidas replied; remembering the beating he received at the hands of the Assassin.

"Remember what Kanan said, Leonidas?" Sabine asked her boyfriend, "You need to know when not to fight."

"You should listen to Sabine, this Assassin is too powerful to face alone." Yitzhak agreed with Sabine.

Leonidas merely nodded to acknowledge the statement.

"Good, get to it you two, I've sent the coordinates to your helmets' HUDs." Yitzhak saluted before leaving for the bridge.

The Mandalorian Duo contacted their comrades that Yitzhak listed and made their way to the Phantom. When they got to the shuttle they found Ezra stowed away in the cockpit.

"Ezra, what are you doing here?" Sabine asked.

"I need something to do, Rex and Kanan's arguing tends to get on my nerves." Ezra explained as a crash and a series of shouts was heard below.

"I see your point." Leonidas admitted, "I guess we could use the backup, we just have to wait for the others."

Ezra was grateful that they were allowing him to tag along, and sat patiently while he waited for the others to arrive. When they did, they didn't need to ask any questions, the commotion in the Ghost answered any questions they may have had.

"Nice to have you aboard Ezra." Jacob stated.

"Same here Jacob." Ezra nodded.

"Time to go get that supplies." Sabine said with her usual smile as the Phantom detached itself from the Ghost.

Leonidas punched in the coordinates and activated the hyperdrive, making the jump to lightspeed.

* * *

Aboard the _Bain of the Phantasms…._

Starkiller sat in his training room, legs crossed and arms rested on his knees. His helmet was off, revealing his orange eyes and pale skin. His eyes opened when he heard the training room door open.

Brutus and Sunev kneeled before him, "You summoned us, Lord Starkiller?"

"I sense a mouse has come out of its hole", Starkiller stood and looked at his two new allies, "The rebels are attempting to salvage some medical supplies from a medical station abandoned during the Clone Wars. I can sense that Ezra is among them."

"You want him captured, sir?" Sunev asked.

"No, my main interest is in the Mandalorian I fought on Lothal." Starkiller shook his head.

"Leonidas Akaan?" Brutus asked, "Why do you want him?"

"When I fought him I sensed a great darkness he has gone through great lengths to keep locked up, it has only been released once, and that was some time ago on the day of Captain Krunglin's demise", Starkiller explained, "That darkness inside of him can be manipulated to our cause; despite not being force sensitive, he is the one who killed the Grand Inquisitor alongside his brother. Ezra Bridger is secondary." Starkiller ordered.

"You're overall objective is Leonidas, but your immediate objective is to capture the Jedi known as Ezra Bridger." Starkiller continued

"As you command master," Brutus and Sunev said at the same time.

"Do not underestimate Ezra," Starkiller added "he may be young, but he's strong in the Force. _TAKE NO CHANCES_."

"As you wish, master." Brutus and Sunev said in unison.

"Consider this mission a test, I will accompany you two, I'll see if I can get Leonidas to crack, you two work on Bridger; remember I want them alive."

The two Inquisitors nodded and left, a Stalker Soldier entering not long after.

"Milord, we have executed each of the hostages in front of Sato, he still wouldn't cooperate even knowing that his silence meant a Rebel's death." The soldier reported.

"Then he has left me no choice, he won't survive my last resort, it will a long and painful process." Starkiller chuckled, "But I admire his commitment, he will make a fine example of the fate that awaits the Rebels."

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap! Read review and enjoy!**

 **I'd like to thank Burke23 for his continued support and assistance. It is because of him that I realized my snafu XD. I'd also like to apologize for the short chapter, but I wanted to at least get one in before the Force Awakens. So please be merciful XD!**

 **I hope to get a good amount of reviews, those help shorten the waiting period. So please spread the word because part two of the Dark Side Triad is coming soon!**

 **Glory to Mandalore**


	9. Dark Side Triad II

The Rise of Starkiller

Darkside Triad II

 **Howdy all! I'm back! I'd like to apologize in advance for the short chapter last time, this time I'll try to compensate for lost time with this longer chapter XD. Who here is looking forward to the Force Awakens? I am! And what better place to watch it than Silverspot Cinema? If you are a Florida resident, who knows, you might meet me XD.**

 **To all those who have reviewed I appreciate the support and spreading the word, you have my gratitude. :)**

 **A/N: I have an apprentice whom I've trained in the art of literature (as seen in my profile) and he'd appreciate some support as well; he writes Yugioh fanfics, not Star Wars, so if you like anime than you should give his stories a peek.**

 **Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters to learn who owns what.**

* * *

On the bridge of the _Savior_ ….

Yitzhak was standing in front of the bridge's holoterminal, it was currently showing all of the neutral and Rebel aligned territories. A rebel soldier walked up to him and gave him a crisp salute.

"What is it soldier?" Yitzhak asked.

"Sir, we've received a recorded transmission from an unknown location." The soldier reported.

"Have you tried tracing it?" Yitzhak asked.

"We have, but no dice, would you like us to play it, sir?" the rebel asked as he led Yitzhak to the holocommunicator bridge desk/giant control console.

Yitzhak nodded and the holocommunications officer hit a few controls and a hologram was pulled up of a beaten and bleeding Commander Sato. Starkiller soon came into the recording and spoke.

" _This is a message to the Rebel Alliance, I give you an example of what happens to terrorists who dare defy the Emperor's will. Hadyou surrendered when you had the chance, it wouldn't have come to this."_

Starkiller extended his hand and began to use a mind trick on Sato.

" _You will tell me the locations of the Rebel bases."_ Starkiller said venomously.

" _Never."_ Sato said weakly.

Starkiller's concentration seemed to increase and he repeated his statement.

" _You will tell me the locations of the Rebel bases."_ Starkiller repeated with much more anger and hostility in his voice.

Sato's skull seemed to be moving; as if his brain was being boiled inside and was trying to escape. Sato was in too much pain to respond to the repeated statement.

" _You will tell me the locations of the Rebel bases, NOW SCUM!"_ Starkiller shouted.

The unthinkable happened, a sound of a small explosion seemed to come from inside Sato's boiling skull; the poor commander's eyes rolled into the back of his skull and went limp.

The rebels gasped in fear and shock.

" _The Sith Mind Bomb, too much force energy forcefully placed on one's mind tends to have some consequences."_ Starkiller chuckled as two Stalker Soldier carried away the commander's corpse, _"That is but a taste of what awaits your team on that medical station, did you really believe that I wouldn't know of your desperation for medical supplies."_

Yitzhak's heart rate spiked, "Contact Leonidas, it's a trap!"

"I can't sir, his transmitter isn't responding!" the communications liaison reported.

" _I wouldn't bother trying to warn them, it is too late for them now."_ Starkiller taunted Yitzhak as if he knew what their reaction would be, _"Ahsoka Tano can now live with the knowledge that a squad of your best soldiers have been sent to their deaths."_

The transmission cut; Yitzhak sprinted to find Ahsoka.

* * *

Aboard the Phantom…

"There's the station." Sabine stated as the shuttle came out of hyperspace and into visual range of the medical station; it had the feel of a hive husk.

"Hopefully this mission won't become more complicated than it has to." Jacob murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Those who heard him couldn't help but silently agree, their missions did seem to have a knack for going south. This was a simple medical run, and the crew wanted it to _stay_ a simple medical run. The team didn't say much as they approached the landing bay, which was sealed off by its emergency blast door, although it came as no surprise for the team.

"Time to put this little number to the test." Leonidas stated as he pulled out a little control pad that was no bigger than his wristcom and pressed a button on it.

The hangar sparked to life and the blast door receded and the ray shields reengaged to prevent the vacuum of space from sucking out its contents.

"Where did you get that?" Sabine asked Leonidas with a smirk.

"A universal blast shield controller, this is merely a prototype made by Cortez", Leonidas explained, "he said he'd have one for each of you shortly, these are tough to make and only work on doors with mild security firewalls."

"Good ol' Cortez, always making fiction into fact." Ezra joked.

* * *

The Phantom flew into the hangar bay and folded its wings up and activated the landing gear before safely landing itself.

"Alright everyone, helmets on and activate night vision, the power station should be nearby." Leonidas ordered as he pressed a button on the back of his helmet to activate his night vision feature; everyone else followed suit.

The shuttle ramp was lowered and the crew got out to find the supplies. Jacob held up a pad that had a beeping red light on it; it turned green after a few seconds.

"The atmosphere is breathable, sealing our helmets won't be necessary." Jacob reported.

"That's good news." Zeb said in a filtered voice; courtesy of his mask (see chapter one for details ;)).

"Sabine, take point, Zeb you cover our six", Leonidas instructed, "We don't know what else is here."

The two nodded and went to their designated positions; Sabine crouched slightly with her pistols drawn while Zeb stood at the ready at the rear of the group with his Bo Rifle drawn. The group began to walk through the shadow cloaked halls; blasters held firmly.

After a few minutes they unknowingly passed a small ID-9 seeker droid who was nestled into the wall with its eye turned off and set to activate via motion sensor; giving it the illusion of being a power circuit panel. After it was out of Zeb's sight, its eye turned on with a flash of red, it detached itself from its hiding spot and hovered for a few seconds before an antenna came out of its head and let out a unique scrambling signal and followed the rebels stealthily.

The group's night vision began to turn to static.

"Ahh", Jacob grunted in frustration as he hit the side of his helmet a few times to see if it would solve the problem, but to no avail.

It turned out that his comrades also had the problem.

"Your night vision working? All mine is showing is static." Zeb asked.

"Negative Zeb, mines out too, something may be here, keep it to one light source only." Leonidas replied.

Sabine nodded and holstered one of her pistols and took her flashlight off of her utility belt, allowing its light to shine the way.

"This place is a bit unnerving." Ezra shivered.

"As I've said before, it's just pre-mission jitters." Leonidas chuckled.

"Yeah and it turned out to be a Sith Lord and Apprentice." Ezra stated.

"Fair enough." Leonidas shrugged.

"Then let's hope it is _just_ pre-mission jitters this time." Sabine gave her two cents.

"Amen to that." Jacob concurred.

* * *

Elsewhere aboard the medical station (exact location unknown)…

The probe droid cruised through the halls with ease and speed, eventually returning to its mistress: Sunev. The probe landed in her hand like a pet bird would its owner, letting out a series of mechanical chirps similar to Chopper but much more respectful in tone.

"Looks like Master was correct." Sunev chortled.

"So it seems." Brutus grunted before moving down one of the halls; they were positioned at a junction for the hallways.

"You doubt Lord Starkiller's abilities?" Sunev asked incredulously.

"The only reason why you don't is because you are sweet on him." Brutus growled.

"He spared our lives, the least we can do in return is give him our loyalty and respect." Sunev said with conviction; ignoring the last part of his comment, "Trust goes a long way in war, are you too simple minded to realize that?"

"No, I'm not." Brutus denied, "My trust is earned."

"So the brutal beat down I gave you wasn't enough?" Starkiller's voice resonated through the cold vacant halls of the medical station.

The Assassin was waiting for them in the shadows.

"Lord Vader wants each of them alive, but bring the Mandalorian male to me." Starkiller gave the two a repeat of his orders.

"What of the force sensitive of the group?" Brutus asked with a bow of respect.

"He is to be brought to Vader after our mission, however he does want us to provoke him into letting anger control his mind." Starkiller continued.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Sunev asked.

"There's a female Mandalorian in the Alliance named Rosa Wren, she means a lot to him, the threat of harming her should help get his anger out." Starkiller finished with a soft laugh, "More so than the others at least."

"So much for the no attachment code." Sunev giggled, "Those Jedi morons try to repress the natural feeling that every individual possesses, that is what makes them weak."

"And prone to manipulation." Brutus added.

"That is what we shall use to our edge, bring the Mandalorian to me." Starkiller agreed, "His girlfriend as well."

* * *

Back with the rebels…

"This should be it." Sabine reported as she uncrossed her flashlight from underneath her pistol hand (standard means of holding a pistol and a flashlight).

The door was halfway open, as if the power shut down right as it was being used.

"You guys can fit through there, but I'm too big." Zeb noted.

"Good thing Chopper is here." Ezra stated as he patted the astromech's head.

The controls were on the other side so Chopper activated his mini jets and carefully hovered through the small gap that was present. Once on the other side he hacked into the panel and got the door to open the rest of the way by reestablishing the power flow to that room.

"Excellent work as always Chopper." Jacob complimented the astromech; who grunted with appreciation.

"Nice work team, this is the power station, with any luck the manifest is still in the databanks." Leonidas said with pride before activating his wristcom.

"This is Nightwolf to Home, do you read me?" Leonidas asked only to be greeted with static.

"That's odd", Sabine said, "They seemed to working just fine a second ago."

"Something ain't right here", Zeb agreed, "First our night vision becomes kaput and now the coms are down."

"Do you think it is possible that the Empire knew we would come here?" Jacob chimed in.

"It is always a possibility, but right now we need to find that medical supplies, but we need to stay on our toes, we don't know what could be waiting for us. I'll take point." Leonidas gave his orders.

"Chopper, remain here and look for that manifest, I doubt that the Empire would see an astromech as a threat." Sabine told the mechanical member of the group.

Chopper seemed to grunt in alarm, he began to shiver as if he went to Illum without a coat.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark." Jacob sighed.

Chopper grunted in denial and made a somewhat desperate request to restore power to the entire station.

"No we aren't restoring power to the entire station", Jacob said firmly; Chopper grunted to protest, "Because if there is someone or something else on this bucket than we would reveal our location, that's why!"

"Come on, the quicker we get the supplies and get out of here, the better." Zeb said impatiently.

"For once I agree with Zeb." Ezra agreed.

Leonidas took point with his Darksaber drawn and his comrades; minus Chopper, followed him. To say that using a Darksaber as a light source was ironic would be an understatement.

Chopper wanted to curl up in a ball and hide in the coroner when he could no longer hear his allies' footsteps. Chopper slowly took deep 'breathes' and composed himself. Unfortunately for the little astromech droid his calm composure was shattered by the clatter of footsteps, scurrying across the wall. That was all it took for Chopper to resume shivering like a frightened child; leaving him unaware of the Seeker Droid crawling on the ceiling directly above him. The ID-9 droid dropped from the ceiling and latched itself onto Chopper, releasing a wave of EMP on the astromech, shutting it down. The Seeker droid let out a series of electronic chirps down the hall, and two more Seeker droids came out and helped their 'boss' drag the astromech into the hall.

* * *

With the rest of the group…

The group had split up to find the supplies and was currently regrouping at a hallway junction.

Sabine was waiting and heard footsteps, they belonged to Jacob.

"Any luck?" Sabine asked.

"Negative ma'am, you?" Jacob shook his head.

"None." Sabine shook her head as well.

Leonidas returned; Zeb was still doing a second sweep through the area for the medical supplies.

"Perhaps the intel was off." Leonidas suggested.

"Oh it wasn't off." A gruff voice said from the shadows of the hallway behind them.

Sabine shined her flashlight at the source of the voice to reveal a bulky alien of unknown species, he was wearing the same uniform that the Grand Inquisitor wore. He drew his disk shaped saber and activated it, a red blade came out of one end.

Ezra drew his saber as well and held it in a defensive position.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Brutus taunted; slowly approaching them, the rebels took a step back for every step he took forward.

"If surrendering is the easy way then we'll go with the hard way." Ezra shouted back.

"The hard way it is!" Brutus shouted and released red lightning from the fingertips his free hand.

Leonidas and Ezra blocked it and held their ground.

"Go, we'll be right behind you!" Leonidas shouted.

"Find Zeb!" Ezra exclaimed.

Sabine knew that when Leonidas put his mind to something he stopped at nothing until it was complete, so she didn't argue and merely gave a nod of acknowledgment; Jacob followed suit.

"Heh, foolish scum." Brutus chortled as he ceased his lightning; seeing that it wasn't effecting his opponents in any way.

Ezra was the first to attack, but was easily blocked by the Inquisitor. Leonidas swung left, blocked, swung right, blocked, and swung at his feet, dodged.

The Inquisitor may have been a big guy but he was no stranger to being on the defensive.

"Pathetic." Brutus said with an arrogant smirk before going on the offensive.

He delivered an onslaught of rapid attacks, each barely blocked by the Mando and Jedi. The other side of Brutus's lightsaber activated in time to block Ezra's strike and Leonidas's attack from the other side. Brutus knocked them back with a big shove; breaking the saber lock, and unleashed a powerful force push, knocking them into the air. Leonidas landed on his feet. Ezra wasn't as lucky, he was thrown into a pile of crates, but got back up all the same. Brutus cracked his neck back and forth and gave them a 'bring it on sign' (sound familiar XD).

Leonidas and Ezra got back into their battle stances and both sides rushed at one another. The resulting close combat happened so fast if you blinked you'd miss it. The Inquisitor activated the spinning feature of his saber and threw it at the rushing Rebels; skimming the walls with the tips of the blade and would kill anything that was standing up. Ezra bent back and the blade missed but was very close to cutting him across the face. Leonidas jumped over the saber and held onto on protruding girder of sorts.

The two rebels were clear to stand up again once the saber made its return trip.

"You are persistent little vermin ain't ya?" Brutus growled.

Leonidas looked at Ezra; flash bang in hand. Ezra nodded back as Leonidas tossed the grenade into the air and Ezra concentrated, using the force to give the grenades velocity an extra punch. The grenade came in too fast for Brutus to dodge or deflect it, the flash bang went off, blinding the Inquisitor temporarily. Leonidas seized the window of opportunity and dashed forward with Ezra not far behind, delivering a volley of punches to this face; albeit it didn't hurt much to Brutus, then kicked in his kneecaps, causing him to buckle. Ezra then delivered the coup de grace with a powerful force blast that knocked Brutus into the wall. Both the Jedi and Mandalorian were panting, a little proud of themselves; that feeling didn't last long though as Brutus stood back up with only a little bit of fatigue showing.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ezra exclaimed with exasperation.

Leonidas went to attack the Inquisitor; hand on his clipped saber, only to have an invisible force squeeze his windpipe. He instinctively grabbed his throat in an attempt to remove whatever was choking him. He was then levitated into the air and saw that the one responsible for this predicament was none other than the dark assassin.

Ezra tried to save Leonidas but was caught in a force choke as well; courtesy of Brutus.

"You put up one heck of a fight." Starkiller chuckled as he slammed Leonidas down to the ground and placed his boot on his throat; showing that he could kill the warlord in a second, "But I'm afraid that you are too weak to stand against the Dark Side Triad."

Ezra coughed a bit as he struggled to breath; Brutus had him pinned to the wall with an iron grip on his throat, "If this is a Triad, where is the missing third member?"

Out of all the times for Ezra to be a smart aleck, this was not the best.

"The lovely Dark Star of the Triad will be with us shortly, after she takes care of your friends that is." Starkiller chuckled before he brought his boot down on Leonidas's head; knocking the warlord out cold.

Ezra passed out from lack of oxygen shortly thereafter.

* * *

With Sabine and Jacob….

"Do you think they can handle a Sith?" Jacob asked as he ran to find Zeb with Sabine.

"I wish I knew." Sabine admitted.

As they turned the corner, a Seeker droid latched itself onto Sabine's helmeted face.

"Get it off me!" Sabine shouted as she tried in vain to pry the Seeker droid off of her face.

Jacob shot it off with his pistol.

The dead droid skid across the ground due to the force from the blaster round until it was stopped by a slender figure's foot. The figure gingerly picked up the droid like a mother would her child and handed it to a few more of the ID-9 droids that accompanied her.

"That was a bit unnecessary." Sunev stated mockingly; igniting her lightsaber on both ends.

"Another one!?" Jacob and Sabine exclaimed in unison.

Sunev opened with a shot of red lightning; both of the targets duck and rolled out of the way. Sabine knew that neither Jacob nor herself had the means to defeat the Sith, only stun her; her attempts to shoot at Vader on Lothal have taught her that. Sabine pulled out a flash bang and chucked it at Sunev, who in a surprise move caught it in midair and released some of her red lightning into it before lobbing it back.

When it detonated it released a wave of electricity, shocking both of the rebels and causing their muscles to ache; they both fell to their knees from the sudden fatigue. Sunev gave her droids a signal with her hand, and they latched themselves onto Jacob and Sabine before releasing another wave of electricity that was enough to knock them out but not enough to kill them.

Sunev's attentions was drawn to the source of slow clapping and immediately recognized the owner as Starkiller.

"Very good Sunev." Starkiller chuckled.

Sunev gave a bow of respect, "Thank you sir."

"Time for phase two."

* * *

An unknown amount of time later….

Leonidas's eyelids began to slowly lift; blinking a few time to adjust his eyesight, and looked around to find his comrades, minus Zeb and Chopper, unconscious and cuffed with a special type of energy restraints.

"Rise and shine." Sunev taunted; she sat in a chair that was near Ezra and Jacob but still relatively close to Leonidas's location.

When Leonidas tried to remove his restraints they zapped him. Starkiller was standing in front of him, tossing the Mando's Darksaber up and down in one hand; the Mando also noted he had Ezra's lightsaber clipped to his belt.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Brutus chuckled, "Struggle and these will give you an unpleasant zap."

"That's enough you two." Starkiller stated firmly.

"Starkiller!" Leonidas growled.

"Nice to see you too." Starkiller laughed in response.

"What do you want?!" Leonidas snapped.

"I merely have a proposition for you." Starkiller continued.

"Forget about it." Leonidas snarled.

"Tsk, tsk." Starkiller shook his hand and gave a signal to Sunev.

She nodded, activating her saber and holding it inches from an unconscious Sabine's neck.

"Wait, wait!" Leonidas shouted; making the Triad smirk underneath their helmets.

"So you are going to listen then?" Starkiller asked; tilting his head.

"What do you want?" Leonidas growled.

"We want you on our side, you are just like us." Starkiller explained.

"I'm not force sensitive." Leonidas laughed.

"That may be true but you possess a powerful inner demon that is a force to be reckoned with when it is released, it has only shown itself once and that was on the day of Captain Krunglin's demise." Starkiller continued.

"You think that's a unique trait?" Leonidas asked, "Everyone has an inner demon, everyone in this room has one, everyone with a mind has one that can do terrible things when it shows itself."

"You speak the truth but fail to see my point", Starkiller said firmly with his arms crossed, "I know that keeping that vengeful part of you locked up takes a toll on your mind, and that is why you keep yourself busy and help others, to prevent that piece of you from escaping again."

"How do you know all this?" Starkiller asked; anger beginning to leak into his words.

"I'm not going to tell you that." Starkiller chortled.

"You're deluding yourself if you think I'll betray everything I believe in just to let a savage piece of me roam free." Leonidas scoffed; this only seemed to amuse the Assassin.

"Almost every Shadow Guard said that before the Emperor broke their spirits and converted them to the Darkside" Brutus stated with his arrogant smirk.

"Then perhaps a trade is in order." Starkiller continued darkly; force choking Sabine, "Your service for her life."

Sabine gave him a look that said 'Don't do it'. Seeing his girlfriend at death's door made something inside him snap, the savage part of him has shown itself again! He stood up; enduring the electric shock he received from his restraints and tackled Starkiller to the ground, taking the controller for his comrades' restraints and stomping on it, setting his compatriots free. Ezra used the force to take his lightsaber from Starkiller's belt clip. Sabine grabbed a tear gas canister and released it after sealing her helmet. Leonidas retrieved his helmet and weapon. Leonidas savagely swung at the downed Starkiller, only to have it blocked by Sunev; her faceplate was closed and sealed.

"Don't you dare!" Sunev growled.

Starkiller recovered relatively quickly and sprung back up and drew his red and dark lightsabers.

"Sunev get those scum, I'll deal with him." Starkiller ordered.

Sunev knocked Leonidas back a bit so she could comply without losing a limb.

"Time to die, Sith!" Leonidas held his darksaber ready, his adrenaline rush from his wild side having faded.

"I could say the same thing." Starkiller chuckled holding his sabers in Shien form V.

Leonidas drew his lightsaber that he took from the grand Inquisitor and activated one of its blades.

The two rushed one another, exchanging flurries of strikes from both of their sabers.

* * *

Back with the rest of the rebels….

"Where's Leonidas!?" Sabine shouted as they ran through the halls to the hangar.

"He stayed behind to hold Starkiller off!" Ezra replied.

"Zeb, please tell me you're near the hangar!" Jacob shouted into his wristcom.

" _Affirmative, I found Chopper deactivated in a pile of crates, I've been looking for you guys."_ Zeb replied, _"My comlink was out for a while…"_

"Get to the hangar pronto!" Jacob exclaimed.

" _What, why?"_ Zeb asked.

"No time to explain, just be there!" Jacob yelled into his wristcom before turning it off.

* * *

Back with the Assassin and Mandalorian….

Starkiller kicked Leonidas in the chest, knocking him into the wall. The Sith thrust his two sabers at Leonidas's chest with the intent of impaling him; fortunately for the Mando he had dodged just in time. Leonidas's instincts told him that he had bought his comrades enough time and made a beeline for the hangar. Starkiller was tenacious, he possessed speed greater than that of the average man; on par with the Terror Troopers.

* * *

Back to the others, again (XD)….

Sabine had shot the blast door controls, buying them some time. Two red lightsabers were slowly cutting their way through the thick durasteel.

"We need to go now, Sabine!" Zeb exclaimed.

"Not without Leo", Sabine used Leonidas's nickname.

"We have the supplies, he'd want us to live to fight another day and not put our lives at risk for his sake." Ezra protested; it was tough for him to tell the truth, Leonidas was like family to the crew.

Before the argument could go much further a giant blast came right through the wall a few meters left of the blast door. Leonidas skid across the floor and got up with a few coughs, having the wind knocked out of you tends to do that.

"How did you do that!?" Jacob exclaimed.

"It… wasn't …. me." Leonidas caught his breath and pointed to the settling dust that was swept up from the blast.

The first thing that became visible was a red blade, and as the owner got closer, a black blade also became visible; the identity of the owner was already known.

"Now I think we should get out of here." Ezra stated.

The rest of the group happily obliged.

The Triad came into the room, the two inquisitors used their force energy to try and ground the ship. Unbeknownst to either side, the Triad leader threw a tracking device onto the Phantom's hull; it immediately cloaked itself after latching onto its target.

"Let them go." Starkiller stated with a smirk.

"Master?" Brutus asked.

"NOW!" Starkiller barked.

The two complied and let the Phantom go. The freed ship made the jump to lightspeed as soon as it could.

* * *

The three members of the Triad removed their headgear and helmets. Brutus was bald and Sunev had short black hair much like Starkiller's; only hers wasn't buzz cut.

"If I may be so bold, master, why did we let the ship go?" Sunev asked.

Starkiller opened his left hand to reveal the tracking devices corresponding transmitter.

"Why kill a few bugs when you can track them to the hive." Sunev smirked as she realized the reason behind her master's actions.

"Precisely." Starkiller chuckled as he closed his hand over the tracker and clipped it to his belt with his ever growing collection of lightsabers.

"What will we tell Lord Vader?" Brutus asked.

"We tell him that we didn't get him the Jedi, we got him the locations of all the Alliance's allies, bases, and maybe even some Jedi survivors other than the three he wants alive." Starkiller stated.

"A bold plan sir." Brutus admitted; swallowing his pride in the process.

Starkiller activated his wristcom and the Rogue Shadow's auto pilot activated, flying itself into the hangar.

* * *

Aboard the Phantom….

"So much for a normal supply run." Ezra sighed.

"I guess fate has decided to give us a near death experience today." Jacob mused.

"I'm just thankful that we all made it." Sabine said with a smile, "Those two Inquisitors almost grounded the Phantom."

When they reached the halfway mark on their journey through hyperspace the Phantom's comlink began to beep wildly.

Leonidas activated the com and heard a rebel's voice.

" _Do you copy, this is Savior to Ghost team, please respond."_ The communications officer was frantic.

"This is Ghost team to _Savior_ go ahead." Leonidas responded calmly.

" _Leonidas! Oh thank the force, is the rest of your team accounted for?"_ the officer asked with relief.

"Affirmative _Savior_ , we're here." Sabine spoke up.

" _We lost contact with you, thank goodness you escaped the trap."_ Yitzhak's voice stated.

"Wait, you knew!?" Zeb asked incredulously.

" _Starkiller sent us a rather grim message, we tried to reach you but he jammed your coms."_ Yitzhak elaborated.

"What do you mean 'grim message'?" Ezra asked curiously.

" _He's dead, Sato is dead."_ Yitzhak sighed.

* * *

 **Annnnnd that's a wrap! More reviews = less waiting.**

 **I did it! Two chapters within a week! In honor of The Force Awakens I hope you enjoyed part two of the Dark Side Triad! Who knows, you may even meet me at the theater in Florida, I always where a German Cap, but to this movie I'm wearing an exercise cap that has a symbol vaguely resembling the Mandalorian symbol XD and a watch that has the Mandalorian symbol in it. So who knows, you might meet me XD, unlikely though!**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	10. A New Addition

The Rise of Starkiller

A New Addition

 **I'm baaaaack with another chapter of the Rise of Starkiller! Thank you all for being patient. I don't have much to say today but I do have one note.**

 **Who here saw the Force Awakens? I DID ON OPENING NIGHT! BEST FILM EVER!**

 **A/N: I like to cut straight to more Mandalorian action, so I am skipping ahead to the episode Blood Sisters. Don't worry, I am going to be giving you guys a quick recap of what has happened since the last chapter. Kinda like the opening dialogue in the beginning of every Star Wars film. I know that it is nothing like the actual 'space sentences' because I am not nearly as talented as the guys who write the prologue dialogue XD**

 **Read review and Enjoy folks!**

 **Disclaimer: Refer to earlier chapters to know who owns what.**

* * *

 _Chaos! The Rebel Alliance has been thrown into turmoil since the demise of Fleet Commander Sato, with their leader gone and their forces dwindling the Alliance entrusts Yitzhak Diluvium with the position of Fleet Commander. Quasar Company has enlisted the retired clones Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor to help the Alliance recuperate and expand._

 _Starkiller and his Stalker Company soldiers have vanished off the grid just as they had after killing Jedi Master Jelkin Pondrei. While the assassin's disappearance meant less opposition for the rebels, the worry of an imminent attack has swept through the Alliance. Rebel comm channels have been hacked into by Imperial listening posts, so couriers became a lot more used then before, but the risk is still as high as ever._

 _Such missions have spread the Ghost crew thin across the systems to safely escort the couriers. The rebel Mandos Leonidas Akaan, Sabine and Rosa Wren, Jacob Diluvium, HK-51, Johnson, and Maximus Oberus have been dispatched to escort a HVI carrying crucial Intel back to the Rebel Alliance. Armed and eager to fight, the Mandalorian pack is sent to the planet Garel to extract the courier and take another step towards dethroning the evil Emperor….._

* * *

Aboard the _Reaper's Claw…_

"Coming up on Garel, we'll be landing in ten minutes." Johnson reported through the ship's intercom.

"I finally get to go on a mission with my blood brother and future sister in law and it's on a boring courier extraction?" Maximus sighed; polishing off his Astromech Droid tools in an effort to lessen his boredom.

"These couriers give us opportunities for the 'action packed' missions you crave." Sabine reminded him, "The Empire will only flatten an unprepared assault."

Leonidas chuckled at the antics of his girlfriend and blood brother before he noticed Jacob shifting uncomfortably; while Yitzhak's son was normally confident he did get what Leonidas called 'The Pre-mission Jitters' a common anomaly experienced by young soldiers.

"You alright Jacob?" Leonidas whispered to him while Sabine continued to lecture Maximus on why the couriers played a key role.

"Guess it's just sinking in, fighting alongside my father's star student and sole survivor of Clan Akaan, I got some big shoes to fill." Jacob explained with a chuckle.

"I don't think you should worry, this is a simple courier mission; we are all just doing our duty to our cause." Leonidas reassured him.

" _Right you are, Leonidas."_ A hologram of Yitzhak appeared on the ship's holoterminal.

"Commander Yitzhak!" everyone acknowledged their superior.

" _At ease."_ Yitzhak stated; arms folded behind his back, _"I've contacted you to give you a quick briefing on the mission to make sure you all know what to do; this is a limited secure channel so I don't have much time. As you know, this courier is of great value, the Empire is unaware of our activity on this planet, let's try to keep it that way."_

"Yes Sir!" everyone saluted.

" _The Courier will be arriving at the spaceport, landing bay CGMJ34, unfortunately the exact gender, species, age, and appearance of the courier is unknown so rule out no one as a possibility. The courier will respond to this phrase: 'It's a long way to Alderaan.'"_ Yitzhak continued, _"Once the courier has been safely extracted see to it that he or she is taken to Outpost Havok."_

"Understood sir."

" _Good, do me proud, and make it back in one piece, Yitzhak out!"_ Yitzhak saluted before his hologram faded.

"Commencing descent." Johnson reported.

* * *

The _Reaper's Claw_ descended through Garel's atmosphere and to the spaceport's vacant bay.

"Alright everyone, listen up." Leonidas told his comrades, "We must try to keep this mission quiet, but we need to be prepared for the worst in case things go south."

Everyone nodded and listened to the plan.

"HK-51, I'll need you on the wall tops to provide sniper support, use your holographic disguise to appear as a maintenance patrolman." Leonidas ordered his faithful companion.

"Understood, master." HK-51 bowed as he took on the appearance of an Imperial man in a patrol uniform. He grappled atop the wall in the blink of an eye; snapping the neck of the officer he was disguised as.

"Johnson, I need you to sync your airspace radar to your HUD, keep an eye out for any TIE patrols that look like they suspect our presence." Leonidas addressed the Shark painted Mando.

"Consider it done." Johnson saluted.

"Everyone else, you're with me, the transport ship will be landing within minutes, so be sure to use the code phrase with everyone, this may get awkward." Leonidas finished.

Everyone chuckled at the last part, but knew that they had to do what was necessary for the rebellion.

"Alright, let's move out." Leonidas declared as they walked through the spaceport's halls.

* * *

As they advanced, a unique graffiti symbol on the wall caught Sabine's eye. She stopped and examined it; Rosa noticed her sister had stopped and walked beside her.

"What is it, sis?" Rosa asked her older sister.

"A symbol, one that I haven't seen in a long time." Sabine replied cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked as they resumed walking, catching up with their male compatriots.

"It was when you were still at the academy, when I had fled." Sabine sighed, "Can we talk about this another time, Rosa?"

"Of course, sis." Rosa nodded.

Sabine smiled underneath her helmet and gave her sister a nod of gratitude.

When Sabine caught up to her boyfriend, he immediately knew that something was on her mind.

"Something wrong?" Leonidas asked Sabine, "I saw you examining that symbol back there."

"It looked, familiar", Sabine whispered to him; deciding to confide with him, "Before I joined the Ghost crew, I worked alongside another Mandalorian, she painted symbols just like that."

Leonidas nodded; signifying he would like her to continue.

"Our dream was to join the Black Sun." Sabine continued.

"One of the most notorious criminal empires." Leonidas said.

"We went our separate ways when I finally got some common sense, I didn't want to kill the innocent for money like the Black Sun do, I wanted to honor the Mandalorian code. Otherwise I'd wind up like the fallen Mandalorians known as Death Watch. I guess she preferred credits over friends, she left me for dead."

"You made the right call, I don't think I'd have joined the Ghost crew had I not met you." Leonidas said with a smile that was concealed behind his helmet.

"All's well that ends well." Sabine agreed.

* * *

The crew walked into the designated landing bay, where the shuttle had just landed, allowing its passengers to get out. Maximus was the first to say the key code; he told it to a Mirialan woman.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." He stated; earning him an awkward look from the Mirialan and a punch in the face from her husband.

The team chuckled at the event before spreading out and trying the key phrase with every passenger they could intercept.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." Jacob addressed a Chiss male, who snapped at him in Huttese before walking away.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." Sabine told a Rodian.

"No kidding." The Rodian replied sarcastically with a roll of his star dotted eyes.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." Leonidas told a Weequay with a few tattoos of famous crime syndicates on his arms.

"Does it look like I care!?" the Weequay asked with a big temper before walking away just like the others.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." Maximus told a human woman.

"I'm not interested in filling out a survey." The woman rolled her eyes.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." Sabine told an Ithorian who just ignored her and continued on his merry way.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." Jacob tried an Ugnaught; kneeling down to the small alien's eye level.

The little pig-like munchkin kicked Jacob where the sun doesn't shine before leaving, mumbling things about personal space.

Sabine kinda felt sorry for her male compatriots, they were receiving slaps, punches, and other means of blows from some sensitive individuals. Maximus more so than the others; since he tried it with only females.

"It's a long way to Alderaan." Rosa told a Gran.

"Can't argue there." The Gran shrugged nonchalantly before walking away.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, the bay was vacant, and the courier was still absent. Maximus was lying atop some crates that were unloaded from the transport; getting hit in the face and equator multiple times tends to weaken you.

"I'll be the first to admit it: that was…. Interesting." Rosa sighed.

"No kidding, I had no idea that Garellians were so hostile." Maximus agreed; having received the majority of the blows.

"Are you sure we got the code phrase correct?" Jacob asked; rubbing his eyelids.

"Yes, 'it's a long way to Alderaan.'" Maximus replied only for the crate underneath him to come to life.

"Woah!" Maximus fell off the crate; or Gonk Droid as it turned out.

"Is that the Courier?" Leonidas asked.

The Gonk Droid gave its usual series of 'gonks' in reply.

"Apparently so." Rosa stated, "His name is EG-86."

"Man, I really wish we had considered the possibility of it being a droid." Maximus rubbed the back of his head.

"This is Nightwolf to HK, do you read me?" Leonidas spoke into his wristcom.

" _Loud and clear master, have you found the Courier?"_ HK-51 replied.

"Affirmative, we are heading back to the _Reaper's Claw_ , keep an eye out for any hostiles." Leonidas ordered.

" _There actually is a contact coming towards you and it isn't imperial."_ HK-51 reported.

"Maintain eyes on but hold your fire." Leonidas told the Assassin Droid, "I'll send you a signal via wristcom when I need your manslaughter prowess."

" _Understood, master."_ HK cut the transmission after acknowledging his orders.

"Well if someone is looking for a fight", Maximus activated his Vibrosword; the blade was released from the hilt, "I say we give it to 'em."

"I agree with Maximus", Jacob concurred, "Better that we deal with em here than in an active location."

"Chances are he or she is a bounty hunter, most Imperials are too cowardly to travel alone." Maximus deduced.

"How very sweet and perceptive of you." A feminine voice stated.

The attention of the group was directed to an armored female with a metal staff on her back, perched atop the rooftop.

The female jumped down and landed gracefully on her feet, she took her weapon off of her back and held it ready.

"It was really nice of you to find my target for me, I definitely wouldn't want to go through what you boys endured." The female chortled.

Sabine immediately recognized the female.

"Ketsu Onyo." Sabine growled.

"Sabine Wren, it's been too long", Ketsu chuckled before turning to Leonidas; who was ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"So, you're the one who betrayed Sabine in favor of fattening up your wallet?" Leonidas asked; his voice adopting a growl.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Ketsu asked quizzically before analyzing how protective the male Mando seemed to be over Sabine.

This realization made Ketsu chuckle.

"He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" Ketsu asked; stifling a laugh, "I didn't know you had it in you with your stuck-up attitude."

"I've changed, I am part of a cause larger than myself, something you will never understand." Sabine snapped back; drawing her blaster pistols but not firing them.

"Ha, I feel so left out." Ketsu remarked sarcastically.

"Look darling", Maximus spoke up; mimicking the tone in which Ketsu spoke, "We have some credits on us, you can either fight us and risk being sent to an imperial prison; with us collecting a bounty that may be on your head, or you can take what we offer and leave us alone."

"How generous of you 'darling'", Ketsu chuckled as she stared Maximus down, both had their metal weapons drawn and at the ready, "Here's my counter, I take the courier to my client and you to the Empire to collect the bounty on your head, an extra fifty thousand credits to fatten up my pockets is definitely a plus."

"You want my friends, you'll have to go through me first." Maximus said firmly as he held his sword at the ready.

"With pleasure." Ketsu twirled her staff; showing that she was no stranger when it came to using it.

"Get the courier out of here, I'll hold her off." Maximus whispered into his helmet comm.

"Good luck, brother." Leonidas replied silently with a nod.

The trip to the exit was cut off by HK-51.

" _Avoid the exits, I say again, avoid the exits!"_ HK-51 said with urgency, _"I'm detecting an imperial patrol squad, wait for them to pass."_

"Very well, we'll assist Maximus…" Jacob began only to be cut off by the Assassin Droid.

" _I would advise against it"_ , HK continued, _"Any more commotion and they might hear you, Yitzhak wants us to remain incognito."_

"Then what should we do?!" Sabine whispered loudly.

" _Pray that Maximus's fighting hasn't rusted."_

Maximus charged Ketsu and swung his Vibrosword at her, only to have it deflected by her metal pole. Ketsu swung at his ankle but was blocked by the sword. Maximus elbowed her helmet's faceplate, knocking her back a few feet, allowing him to low sweep her feet. Ketsu was knocked flat on her back but rolled out of the way when Maximus swung his Vibrosword at her; instead colliding with the ground space she once occupied. Ketsu sprung back up and struck Maximus across his helmeted head, knocking off his helmet in the process; revealing his green eyes and spiky brown hair. Maximus returned the favor with a rocket powered uppercut to Ketsu's chin knocking off her helmet as well, revealing a woman around his age with buzz cut brown hair and a Mohawk style streak of brown hair going down the middle of her scalp, tanned skin; much like Sabine's, purple eyes, and a Black Sun tattoo on the back of her skull.

Maximus saw why Sabine used to be friends with her, she had the same tanned skin, an independent attitude and a tenacious fighting resolve. Maximus had to admit she was quite pretty; wait what!? Maximus shook his head to get those thoughts out of his mind. When he regained focus, Ketsu was swinging her Bo staff at his exposed head; he managed to deflect her weapon with his own, but barely.

"Listen, this is between me and Sabine." Ketsu growled.

Before Maximus could respond, a squad of Stormtroopers entered hangar with their blasters pointed at the Mandalorians.

"Freeze, don't move a muscle!" the trooper with an orange pauldron barked.

Sabine casually put her hands up and approached the leader slowly.

"What seems to be the problem?" Sabine asked; pretending not to know why the troopers were threatening her friends.

"This hangar closed an hour ago, staying after hours is a crime punishable by years incarcerated." The commander stated firmly; also approaching the female Mando with his rifle pointed at her and finger on the trigger.

"Pretty steep crime for such a light crime." Sabine gave a humorless laugh.

When they were close the trooper realized something.

"Wait, you are the re…" the trooper began only to have his neck snapped by Sabine.

Sabine held the commander's corpse in front of her as a human shield and shot three other Stormtroopers.

"It's the rebels, open fire!" A trooper shouted before getting sniped by HK-51.

Sabine held onto her human shield while the others; including Ketsu, ducked for cover. Ironically Ketsu wound up with Maximus behind a gurney stacked with crates while the others and the Gonk Droid were taking cover behind individual crates that were erroneously placed throughout the docking bay.

"We can settle our little disagreement later, right now we need to take care of these imperials." Maximus said loudly so he could be heard over the blaster fire.

"On that I agree." Ketsu nodded while placing her helmet back on and drawing her pole and hitting the bottom of it into the ground, allowing electrical sparks to come to life on both ends of her weapon.

Ketsu spun it like a pro and deflected the incoming blaster shots, hitting them either into the air, the wall, or into the trooper who fired the round. Sabine activated her wrist shields and deflected incoming fire back at their owners. Ketsu slammed her staff across one trooper's face, plunged it into the chest of another, and hit the place where the 'stars don't shine' of a third stormtrooper. Rosa herself was taking action, she drew her pistols cowboy style and gunned down the Stormtroopers with amazing speed and accuracy, rolling to cover every now and then to return fire.

The males of the rebels watched in silence.

"Should we help them?" Maximus asked; a trooper skidded across the ground and collided with a stack of supplies next to him.

"I think they have it under control." Leonidas stated casually; another trooper's screams where heard.

* * *

The three females had soon disposed of all the troops; Sabine and Ketsu were staring each other down, ready to attack at any given moment.

"We were friends once Ketsu, just let us go and we'll work something out." Sabine tried to reason, but her tone of voice suggested that she was anticipating a fight, "You are outnumbered, outmatched, and outgunned."

Sabine gestured for Ketsu to look at her chest guard; the tanned girl complied and saw a red dot lined up with her heart. She traced the source of the laser sight to see HK-51 in a prone position, his finger on the trigger. Ketsu laughed a bit to herself.

"You've changed Sabine, you were anticipating me weren't you?" Ketsu scoffed.

"The minute I saw your signature on the wall." Sabine said; a smirk hidden behind her helmet, "But there may be a place for a woman of your talents in the alliance, just come quietly and you can see what you should be fighting for."

Ketsu reached for her utility belt slowly and quietly so Sabine wouldn't notice.

"I prefer not!" Ketsu shouted and released a smoke canister, covering her escape.

"Don't let her escape!" Sabine shouted as she shot at Ketsu through the smoke; missing her target.

Ketsu sprinted towards a trooper who was leaning against some crates; Ketsu herself hit him into the crates. Ketsu drew her staff and pointed it at the trooper.

"Oh no, not again." The trooper panicked as he tried to cover the area where he had been hit before.

Ketsu missed the protected area by inches before vaulting over the wall and into her own ship: _Shadow Caster_.

The _Shadow Caster_ took flight and was ascending into orbit. Sabine sprinted to the docked transport shuttle that carried the courier and took the controls to pursue her former friend. Only Leonidas and Maximus managed to get on before she took off. Leaving the Gonk Droid Courier, HK-51, Rosa, and Jacob behind.

"This is Excalibur to Star Hawk", Jacob used his father's code name, "We have the courier but we seem to have a bit of a problem."

* * *

In the dunes of Lothal….

A green skinned Devaronian was scanning the skies for his anticipated targets, and sure enough he had eyes on a transport shuttle pursuing a dropship.

"Excellent, time for Cikatro Vizago's payday." Vizago referred to himself in third person.

Two Thug Droid aimed their rocket launchers at the two ships. A beeping was heard from the launchers, increasing its pace until it was insanely fast. The droids then pulled the triggers and launched their projectiles at the ships to bring them down.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! What will happen next? Tell me what you think will happen in the next chapter with Cikatro Vizago back in the picture? Read, review, and Enjoy!**

 **I know it isn't the 25** **th** **yet but I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	11. A New Addition II

The Rise of Starkiller

A New Addition II

 **Guten Tag mein freundes! How are you all doing? :) I love the support you guys have shown, and here is reward, a new chapter! :D This chapter and the previous one will be showing some girl power; as you may have noticed, Sabine, Rosa, and Ketsu showed no mercy to those unfortunate Stormtroopers XD.**

 **Wow! Over 90 reviews already! I hope to reach 100 with this chapter :) Thank you all for your support!**

 **Disclaimer: Refer to earlier chapters to know who owns what.**

* * *

On Garel….

Sabine, Leonidas, and Maximus were pursuing Sabine's former friend Ketsu Onyo, when suddenly a red light flashed above the pilot's position.

"What's going on!?" Sabine exclaimed.

"Missile lock, hold on!" Maximus exclaimed as the missile collided with the side of the ship and blowing open the side door.

Maximus attempted to hold onto something but was sucked out of the door before he could.

"MAXIMUS!" Leonidas exclaimed as he saw his friend drop to the ground.

The hijacked transport soon came crashing down as well, throwing Leonidas and Sabine out the front of the newly shattered windows. It all happened so fast that the Mandos' minds had a hard time processing what just happened before blacking out.

Leonidas regained consciousness ten minutes later and saw Sabine lying on the ground next to the flaming wreckage. Leonidas didn't have a moment to lose, he scooped Sabine up bridal style and carried her a good distance from the downed vehicle.

He laid her down and removed her helmet so she could breathe easier and checked her pulse, which was slowly getting stronger. Leonidas activated his wristcom in an attempt to reach his blood brother.

"Solar, do you copy?" Leonidas used Maximus's codename.

Static was his response. Leonidas sighed and shut off his comm.

Not a minute after he did that Sabine regained consciousness with a huge gasp for air.

"Easy there." Leonidas said firmly.

"Ketsu! Where is she?!" Sabine exclaimed.

Leonidas pointed to another smoke plume in the distance.

"She shared our fate, whoever gunned us down is not an ally of hers." Leonidas stated.

"Where's Maximus?" Sabine asked as she stood back up.

"He was knocked out of the ship when we were still in the air, I don't know if he's alive or not." Leonidas replied; a look of grievance on his face.

"He's tough, I'm sure he made it", Sabine said as she drew her pistols, "But right now we need to find Ketsu."

"What about Maximus?" Leonidas asked incredulously.

"If he is alive, then he will be going to that smoke plume like you and I." Sabine stated as she began to jog to the plume in the distance.

Leonidas opened his mouth to protest but decided against it; when she put her mind to something she did it, Leonidas could only hope that his blood brother was alive as he jogged after Sabine to the _Shadow Caster's_ wreckage.

* * *

Garellian Outlands, location unknown….

Maximus was sprawled out on the tall grass, regaining consciousness with gasp of air and a wheezing cough. Maximus stood up; experiencing some vertigo as the blood rushed to his head from standing up too fast, and saw that his wristcom was busted from his landing.

Maximus recalled that when he was sucked out of the transport he attempted to activate the jets in his boots to cushion his fall but they only succeeded by a very small margin as he had to resort to the old tuck and roll technique. After he finished collecting his thoughts and checking to see if he lost anything during his descent he noted two plumes of smoke in the distance. Without skipping a beat, Maximus sprinted to the one closest to him.

After a five minute sprint he arrived at the remains of the _Shadow Caster_ and saw flames that were beginning to spread. Maximus looked to see a comatose Ketsu slumped over the pilot controls. At first Maximus pondered on leaving her for dead; but then something else inside of him told him to help her. Maximus came up to the cockpit of the downed fighter and took out his vibrosword, jamming it into an opening and prying the glass hatch off of the top with a mighty heave.

"I hope I don't end up regretting this." Maximus murmured to himself as he picked Ketsu up bridal style and carried her a good distance away from the debris.

He laid her down, removed her helmet along with his own, and checked her pulse. It was fading.

Maximus began performing CPR on her, he pumped her chest three times before breathing air into her via 'mouth-to-mouth'. This cycle continued for a few minutes when finally Ketsu woke up, unfortunately for Maximus it was right in the middle of him performing the mouth-to-mouth part of the CPR cycle. Ketsu's eyes widened in shock before punching Maximus across the face.

"What are you thinking you creep?!" Ketsu exclaimed a bit hysterically.

"Saving your life." Maximus groaned; rubbing his jaw.

Ketsu was about to ask what he was talking about when she saw her ship up in flames with the cockpit pried off. It all started to come back, she was gunned down by an anti-aircraft rocket.

"I performed CPR on you for four minutes straight", Maximus explained, "A thank you would be nice."

"That changes nothing." Ketsu snapped as she reached for her pistol, only to find that Maximus had confiscated it along with her staff.

"I have no intention of harming you, but I will put you down if you try anything." Maximus said sternly as he drew his pistol and held her at gunpoint.

"You wouldn't." Ketsu growled.

"You didn't seem too sorry when you tried to turn us in, so once again I have a proposition for you." Maximus replied in a dark tone, "You help me find my blood brother and his girlfriend, and I'll give you a ride to the nearest spaceport along with your weapons back. If not than I can just put you down right here and now and turn your carcass in for some credits to fatten up my pockets."

Maximus could be a very scary person when he wanted to, however Ketsu merely stared him down with a scowl.

"Deal." She agreed with the most reluctance anyone could have.

"Good, let's go to that second plume of smoke I thin…." Maximus began before Ketsu cut him off.

"Look, something is coming!" Ketsu exclaimed as she put her helmet back on.

Maximus looked in the direction Ketsu was looking and saw half a dozen Skiffs coming towards them. A bunch of thugs were aboard them and armed with rifles; some shot a few rounds into the air.

"Pirates, GET DOWN!" Maximus exclaimed as he tackled Ketsu to the ground.

The Skiffs whizzed over them with a bunch of trigger happy pirates howling and shooting the sky. After the sound of gunfire faded and the wind became the only sound in the area, the two got back up and brushed themselves off.

"I'd wager those are the scum who gunned us down." Ketsu growled, "They'll be coming back."

"Then we need to find Leonidas and Sabine quickly before they do." Maximus replied.

"We could be forced into a firefight at any moment with those hoodlums, I need to have a way to protect myself", Ketsu protested while extending an open hand, "Give me my weapon."

Maximus regretfully admitted that she had a point, he had promised her that she wouldn't be killed unless she tried to turn on him, leaving her without a weapon would be breaking that promise.

"Fine", Maximus relented and handed her a blaster pistol, "But I won't hesitate to put you down if you try anything funny."

"Sir yes sir." Ketsu said sarcastically with a mocking salute.

Maximus ignored the quip and gestured for her to take point.

Ketsu complied and led him stealthily through the tall grass.

"Why are you risking your neck for them", Ketsu asked, "Why sacrifice your freedom to be a part of some little resistance cell?"

"I learned young that the worlds don't revolve around me, a life alone isn't a life at all", Maximus responded, "As cliché as it sounds, I'd rather die knowing that I fought for what I believed in and made a difference in the process than live as a selfish loner."

"That doesn't sound like it is worth it." Ketsu scoffed, "I've gone years without allies or friends and I turned out fine."

"You can keep telling yourself that, but in the eyes of the Black Sun, you are just a pawn that can be discarded or sacrificed whenever they want, you aren't free you are just a puppet." Maximus continued.

"I am nobody's puppet!" Ketsu snarled; snapping her head back to look at Maximus's helmeted head.

"Then give the alliance the chance, cut your strings." Maximus countered.

Before Ketsu could respond a figure leaped from the foliage tackled her to the ground. It was Sabine!

"Sabine!" Maximus exclaimed.

"Glad to see you are in one piece." Leonidas greeted as he walked from the foliage.

"Much the same here", Maximus nodded to his blood brother before turning his attention to the female Mando, "Sabine, get off Ketsu! She is on our side, at least for now!"

"Is that so?" Sabine asked quizzically with an angry expression on her face.

"Yes, after your buddy there pulled me from the wreckage of my ship he resuscitated me offered me an ultimatum, I help him find you two and he won't turn me in for the bounty on my head", Ketsu said calmly, "But by the looks of things you found us."

"She's telling the truth, I offered her a deal and she accepted it." Maximus vouched for the purple eyed girl, "And I think we will need her help to deal with those pirates."

"So those guys on the Skiffs are responsible for gunning us down, I say we return the favor." Sabine cracked her knuckles; she was a lot more hostile today than usual, but Leonidas knew it was because of Ketsu.

"That is a plan I can get behind" Ketsu stated, "Just like the old times."

"I've changed Ketsu, I have friends and family that have my back through thick and thin", Sabine said; looking to Maximus and Leonidas to emphasize her point, "Right now we need to get out of this open field before the pirates come ba…"

An electro net flew through the air and hit Sabine, delivering a devastating shock. Ketsu sprinted forward and smashed the net's generator, freeing her former friend. Blaster fire was coming their way but Leonidas and Maximus deflected them.

"They have found us!" Leonidas exclaimed, "We need to get out of this tall grass!"

"I know a way out, but you need to trust me", Ketsu shouted after shooting a Gran pirate that was concealed by the foliage.

"Why? So you can turn on me like you did last time, I don't think so!" Sabine snapped before shooting two Weequays in the head.

"What would I have to gain from betraying you?" Ketsu asked incredulously, "If I killed you than my chances of surviving this skirmish will go down greatly!"

"Sabine, we have to trust her, we won't survive long out here; there isn't any cover!" Maximus exclaimed.

Sabine sighed in defeat, "Lead the way!"

Ketsu nodded and sprinted to the right with her frenemies in tow. They went through a series of turns and twists as if it were a maze before they finally came upon a small pirate camp with a Gammorean unloading crates from a Skiff, a Selkath was at the Skiff's controls and a few Thug Droids were patrolling the area.

"Time for some payback", Leonidas said as he drew his pistol.

"Maximus, do you have any EMP grenades on you?" Ketsu asked.

"You mean the Droid Poppers, yes I do." Maximus gave a nod.

"Hand me one." Ketsu said with an outstretched hand.

Maximus looked to Sabine, who gave him a nod, he handed Ketsu an EMP grenade.

"Alright, I'll use this on the Thug Droids, you guys deal with the non-droid ruffians." Ketsu continued, "Every ready?"

The team nodded with their firearms drawn. Ketsu chucked the grenade at the droids, the droids looked at it curiously and one even picked it up to get a better look at it before it sent out an electromagnetic pulse that shut them down. The pirates looked at the disabled droids with shock before a blaster shot hit a Gammorean in the head and a volley of other shots gunned down the other foot soldiers. The Selkath panicked and accelerated the Skiff as far away from the base as possible; but unknown to the aquatic alien, Ketsu had placed a tracking device on the Skiff before he fled.

"Not bad Ketsu." Sabine admitted, "Glad to have you on our side for now."

"I told you that trusting me was the right call." Ketsu said smugly.

"So why did you tag that Skiff with a tracking device?" Maximus asked.

"One of the things I know about pirates is that they report back to the main base when one of the small camps is compromised, to them this is like a scavenger hunt." Ketsu replied.

"Impressive, the rebellion could use someone of your talents." Maximus complimented Ketsu; who blushed a little under her helmet, "When this is over, you could always come with us, you can see what Sabine abandoned the life of a loner for."

After a few minutes of silence Ketsu gave her response.

"We'll see."

Sabine and Leonidas's eyes widened with shock, Maximus may have gotten through to her after all.

"Speaking of which, if you do have allies, why haven't they sent help?" Ketsu asked.

"Fleet commander Yitzhak said that Quasar Company will here in an hour or two." Sabine replied, "We'll be dead by then unless we strike back at those pirates."

"Now you are speaking my language." Ketsu and Maximus exclaimed in unison.

"But if we are to strike back at the main base, we'll need some heavier firepower." Leonidas gave his two cents.

"I think we have that part covered." Sabine said with excitement evident in her voice; she opened a crate that showed top of the line grenade and rocket launchers.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Maximus said with enthusiasm.

"I'll contact Quasar Company and inform them of the plan." Leonidas stated as he activated his wristcom.

* * *

At the Broken Horn Command Camp….

"Escaped! What do you mean escaped!?" Vizago shouted into his wristcom.

" _We lost track of them in the tall grass, we can't find them."_ A pirate's voice replied through the wristcom.

"Those rebels have already made a fool of Cikatro Vizago once, you won't like what happens to you if it becomes twice!" Vizago threatened before shutting off his comlink.

He nearly popped a blood vessel when it rang again.

"WHAT IS IT THIS TIME!?" Vizago hollered.

" _One of our waypoint camps was compromised, only Zaqoi made it out."_ A Weequay pirate reported.

"Send him to me." Vizago growled.

" _Yes boss."_ The Weequay complied.

The Selkath known as Zaqoi came running in with his arms flailing about. He frantically was releasing a bunch of hiss, click, and whistles that his species used to communicate to try to tell Vizago something.

"I don't understand a word you are saying!" Cikatro face palmed, "Where is my protocol droid!?"

"Right here sir." A very broken up voice replied.

It belonged to a severely rusted protocol droid that looked like it hadn't been cleaned since it was assembled and was ready to fall apart at any given moment.

"Tell me what this buffoon is blathering about!" Vizago ordered.

Zaqoi repeated what he said earlier, this time a bit more slowly.

"He says that he was attacked a group of Mandalorians, they killed the others in his group and your thug droids." The Droid translated.

"Tell me you didn't leave the weapons behind." Vizago stated with an eerie calmness in his voice.

The Selkath seemed to hesitate before he answered.

"He says that it happened too fast for him to take the supplies with him." The protocol droid translated.

Vizago's left eye began to twitch as he seemed about ready to explode with anger.

Zaqoi was smart enough to flee before the Devaronian lost his temper. Vizago took his anger out on his protocol droid instead by shooting it to pieces.

"Must I do everything myself!?" Vizago continued his tirade.

The green Devaronian grabbed his DXR-6 Disruptor rifle and pressed a button on his wristcom.

"I want half the men from camp Alpha and Beta to meet me and my men at camp Gamma, we'll teach those rebel scum a lesson!"

* * *

Back at camp Gamma….

Unbeknownst to the angry leader of the Broken Horn Syndicate, Ketsu had used the dead Gammorean pirate's comlink to patch into the thug's com chatter.

"We are about to have company", Ketsu informed her frenemies, "Do we have what we need?"

"You know it", Maximus replied; cocking his grenade launcher for emphasis, "Sabine, how are the explosives coming along?"

"They are all in place." Sabine reported, "Leonidas, have you triangulated the positions of the camps Beta and Alpha?"

"Affirmative", Leonidas said with a quick salute, "You and Ketsu sure know how to make a plan."

"Well, they _did_ use to work together." Maximus pointed out.

"With any luck those days will continue." Sabine thought to herself; Ketsu was still considering Maximus's offer.

"What are we waiting for?" Ketsu asked with a soft laugh, "Let's get going!"

"Vizago has crossed us for the last time." Sabine added while holstering her pistols.

"Let's show him what the alliance can do, Quasar Company will arrive at their designated target within the hour." Leonidas reported.

"Time wreak some havoc!" Maximus hollered with glee; finally the action packed mission he'd been waiting for.

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap! Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 **I appreciate all your support, I couldn't have made it this far without you guys :)**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	12. A New Addition III

The Rise of Starkiller

A New Addition III

 **Guten Tag! Happy New Year all! I'd like to apologize for the wait but I hope that this makes up for it.**

 **100 reviews! YAY. DONKA! THANK YOU ALL!**

 **Not much to say today except for the more reviews the merrier XD!**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels is property of Disney. What I do own though are my OCs. I can say that if I did own Star Wars, then Starkiller would feature as the Sith Supreme Leader instead of Snoke XD. The Superweapon is called Starkiller Base for Pete's sake, I can't be the only one who thinks that it should have been Starkiller himself in that film.**

* * *

Back on Garel….

Vizago had what seemed to be a permanent scowl on his face as the Skiff he was on sailed across the outlands. To add fuel to his fire of anger he had just received word that another Skiff was hijacked and its whereabouts are currently unknown.

"Those scum, they are humiliating me yet again!" Vizago slammed his fist against the Skiff's railing in anger.

He then turned his attention to the Skiff driver.

"No one rests or eats until those scum are found." Vizago snarled.

"But boss, we've been out here for three hours." A Nikto complained, "And none of the other search groups have found anything."

"One of my Skiffs just vanished, that is most certainly something!" Vizago's eye was twitching from frustration.

"Sir, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but something has come up, it isn't good." The Selkath known as Zaqoi remarked.

"What could it possibly be?" Vizago asked in exasperation.

"T-the base camp, it's gone, no signs of life, the whole thing is ruins." Zaqoi replied nervously.

This pushed Vizago over the edge as he went berserk and pulled out his blaster pistol and fired at the Selkath. Fortunately for the latter, he dodged and jumped off the Skiff to avoid being shot by the angry Devaronian.

"How could this have happened!? Why weren't we contacted!?" Vizago continued his tantrum.

* * *

2 hours earlier aboard the _Savior_ …..

"Alright men, listen up!" Yitzhak barked as a squad of Rebel Troops and Quasar Company lined up.

"We got three Mandos in need of an evac on Garel, they are counting on you boys to get them out of there and deal with the pirate scum who gunned em down", Yitzhak continued as he walked past each of them like a sergeant inspecting his squad would during roll call, "Show them what we can do, Empire or not, no one attacks our family and gets off Scott free."

"Oorah!"

"Good, get your rears in gear and get our compatriots home!" Yitzhak ordered.

"Oorah!" the rebels yelled before marching to their battle shuttles.

"May the force be with you all." Yitzhak murmured.

* * *

Back with our Mandalorian rebels….

Ketsu piloted the stolen Skiff with skill while her newfound allies were double checking the weapons they also stole.

"So what are you going to do once we get out of this mess?" Maximus asked Ketsu.

"I thought I already answered that question, twice I believe." Ketsu replied.

"Yes, but not with a straightforward yes or no answer, just the 'I'll think about it', I can't stand suspense." Maximus said in a joking manner; he even took a satirical begging stance and tried to use puppy dog eyes, the latter of which was rather ineffective and frankly embarrassing.

"Well then I guess you'll have to deal with it." Ketsu laughed at the Mando's behavior.

Sabine and Leonidas were both watching the two with smiles on their faces. It was amazing that Maximus could still joke; with Ketsu Onyo of all people, in a situation such as this.

"They seem to be hitting it off rather well, it is almost unbelievable given the hostility between them earlier." Sabine noted.

"Maximus knows how make friends a lot better than I do, it's a talent he's had since he turned six." Leonidas explained, "As the rather old and questionable saying goes, laughter is the best medicine."

Sabine looked at him incredulously with a raised eyebrow.

"He was always the peacekeeper of his clan's children, always finding ways to defuse tension when it wasn't he who created it." Leonidas continued, "He always found ways to get a laugh out of people, be it a laugh of sincerity or of bemusement."

Sabine herself gave a laugh of amusement at the thought.

"On another bright note, this is our first mission without the Empire getting involved; that is of course if you don't count the patrol in the hangar." Sabine noticed.

"I do not envy the Stormtroopers who were on the receiving end of your blows." Leonidas almost felt sorry for the troopers; an angry Mando is a dangerous one, especially a female one!

"Oh come on Leo, I didn't get too carried away did I?" Sabine gave him a slug on the shoulder.

* * *

At the Garellian hangar…

The Stormtroopers that were on the receiving end of Sabine, Rosa, and Ketsu's wrath were getting up or crawling on the ground. All were groaning in pain and a little from embarrassment. Some were being scooped off of the concrete by the medics.

The Sergeant of the medical squad walked up to a Stormtrooper who was leaning against some crates before falling down again from dizziness.

"What happened?" the medical sergeant asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." The trooper sighed.

* * *

Back to the Mandos….

"Uh yeah, you weren't too rough." Leonidas said with an uneasy chuckle.

"Exactly." Sabine agreed cheerfully.

"I don't know if that just made her more attractive or dangerous in my eyes… I'm going with both." Leonidas thought to himself.

The Skiff powered down and settled into some tall grass that concealed it from sight.

"This is a good place to disengage, let's proceed on foot." Ketsu reported.

"Alright, the main camp shouldn't be more than a half hour walk away." Maximus concurred.

"Everyone have what they need to execute the plan?" Leonidas asked everyone.

"Same answer as the last three times you asked." Maximus replied with his usual wit.

Leonidas and Sabine ignored Maximus's quip with a roll of the eyes. His behavior; though childish, was enough to get a small smile from Ketsu. Sabine herself never pegged Ketsu as the type to find playful and sometimes childish behavior amusing, but then again, it was as Leo had said, Maximus possessed both a violent and magnetic personality.

"Alright then, Sabine and I will breach the eastern perimeter, Ketsu and you can handle the western side." Leonidas stated.

"So Ketsu and I are the distractions?" Maximus asked dryly.

"You already do a good of job of it every day, who better for the job?" Sabine asked with a somewhat sinister smirk that sent shivers up Maximus's spine, "Besides, you two are great with banter, just change your bickering and flirting to shots and grenades."

"We do not flirt!" Ketsu and Maximus exclaimed in unison.

But almost supernaturally, Sabine and Leonidas were both gone from sight.

"Alright, I have _got_ to ask how they do that." Maximus stated before following Ketsu on the route to the western perimeter.

"They just slip away when your attention is absent, it's no surprise that they seem to pull it off with you." Ketsu scoffed.

"Oh is that right, then how come you didn't see them leave?" Maximus shot back with a sly grin.

Ketsu didn't answer, she merely murmured some insults about Maximus that the Mando couldn't quite decipher, not that he wished to.

* * *

An indeterminate amount of time later….

The Pirate base camp seemed to be anticipating intruders, an electric fence was active that surrounded the entire perimeter, powered by a poorly put together generate that seemed to barely be able to function. Vizago excelled at business, but he fell behind in terms of his equipment's quality. One thing that was notable was the homemade towers that held up AA batteries that operated on a motion sensor should an aircraft without the Broken Horn codes get too close.

"This is painfully predictable", Sabine said with a confident smirk, "Vizago, you are too pathetic with your battle plan."

"Almost seems too easy, I know I've said this before, but Vizago seemed to be very angry when we last met him and he seems like the kind of guy who believes in a head for an eye if you catch my drift." Leonidas mused.

"This fence has pretty big gaps, I could probably just maneuver through it." Sabine was obviously unconvinced with her boyfriend's reasoning.

A Nuna walked from the fields and up to the fence. The minute he came within ten feet of it, the fence sparked up and zapped the Nuna with a powerful shockwave, knocking the chicken-like creature back on its rear five feet from where it originally stood. The little animal scurried away as fast as its feat would allow.

Sabine saw the whole thing and grimaced at the result.

"I think Vizago is more cunning then we gave him credit for." Sabine said uneasily.

"I wager that shooting the power generator is out of the question." Leonidas stated somewhat dryly.

"Yes, we need to remain incognito", Sabine gave an affirmative nod before activating her wristcom, "Ketsu this Sabine, do you read me?"

" _Yes, what is it that you need?"_ Ketsu's voice came through the comm.

"A long range electric fence is blocking off our entry point." Sabine reported.

" _Long range electric fence? How does that work?"_ Ketsu asked skeptically.

"If only she knew how much like Maximus she was speaking." Leonidas said under his breath.

"It seems to detect movement and zap whatever is responsible for moving, a Nuna was the unlucky volunteer for the experiment, and it seemed eager to run when it recovered." Sabine continued.

" _Maximus and I have a visual on the western perimeter, there isn't an electric fence on our end but they seem to have sentries and crates of what looks like parts for that long range fence of yours."_ Ketsu replied, _"It looks like Vizago intends to be here for a while, it's possible that we stumbled upon a pirate establishment operation."_

"Just our luck", Sabine facetiously remarked, "We are going to come to you then, that stupid fence has forced a change of plans."

" _Very well, should we come to you, or will you come to us?"_ Ketsu asked with frustration; she didn't like it when a plan fell apart, no one did.

"We're coming to you, remain hidden, and remember that we only have a certain amount of time before Vizago and his goons return." Sabine decided.

" _That's the spirit."_ Maximus's sarcastic voice came in the background.

"It's settled then, stay out of sight, we are on our way." Sabine finished and turned off her comlink.

* * *

Back with Ketsu and Maximus….

"Looks like we need to sit tight for a while, depending on Vizago's level of determination to collect the bounty on our heads, our time is uncertain." Ketsu sighed as she approached Maximus.

"To be fair our plan was formed with haste, I'm shocked that a long range electric fence is the only factor that has forced us to go to plan B…. no pun intended." Maximus quickly added the last part.

"For some reason I doubt that." Ketsu said with a small smile and a roll of the eyes.

"Normally with pirates, we can afford to make some quick decisions in favor of saving time, but I guess all that time since their last visit with Vizago he has been plotting to even the score." Maximus surmised.

"I figured you'd know that pirates such as this Vizago don't let credits go easily." Ketsu quipped.

"Of course I know that, I just knew that one would stalk someone for so long before striking." Maximus defended himself.

"If this is how everyone in your Alliance thinks than you'll need someone like me." Ketsu gestured to herself to emphasize the point.

"So are you going to accept my offer?" Maximus asked; his eyes gleaming with hope.

"I haven't decided yet." Ketsu shrugged.

"How have you not decided!?" Maximus asked incredulously, "How could it take you so long to think about it?"

"Clearly you don't know the first thing about patience, with that attitude you'll continue on the rest of your days alone." Ketsu said with a smug smirk.

"You mean I'll lead the life you lead?" Maximus asked with no malice or anger in his voice, only the tiniest amount of pity; this caught Ketsu off guard.

"In case you have forgotten, I already explained that I chose this life." Ketsu recovered and attempted to regain her footing in this conversation.

"At the cost of your friendship with Sabine?" Maximus asked, "You seem like a smart woman, so why would you make a dumb choice like that?"

Ketsu opened her mouth but no words came out; she didn't know the answer to that question.

"Why else do you think that Sabine didn't veto my proposition, she hopes to fight alongside you again." Maximus continued.

"Given the way she has treated me since our run-in at the spaceport you'll have to pardon my skepticism." Ketsu countered.

"I have met many people in my travels since my father was killed", Maximus proceeded with his story, "And you can tell a lot about someone just by looking into their eyes, when I looked into Sabine's eyes when you attacked us at the spaceport I saw what everyone saw: Malice, and a thirst for Vengeance, but there is something else in her as well, forgiveness."

"Spare me the lectures", Ketsu scoffed, "Why would Sabine want me to fight by her side after I left her for dead?"

"The fact that you are asking me that question all but proves that you seek forgiveness as well", Maximus responded, "Clearly her time working with you meant a great deal to her, you were like a sister to her, and she wants that Ketsu back, during our conversations a side of you that you try to hide shows itself, that side is a little more friendly, still very tough and independent, but not selfish and greedy."

Ketsu's eyes lowered slightly in shame, a trace of sorrow could be detected on her fair features.

"If we survive this, I'll ask Sabine if what you said about her is true, if it is then I'll join your cause." Ketsu gave her decision.

Maximus hugged Ketsu; which shocked her at first, but she hugged back after she recovered, it just felt right.

"I'll make darn sure that we make it out of this." Maximus murmured.

"I'll make sure that your sorry rear doesn't get stuck in the gutter." Ketsu murmured back; this made both of them chuckle.

"I hate to interrupt your little soap opera, but we have a camp to destroy." Leonidas's voice interrupted their moment.

"When we get out of this you two can get a room and sort things out." Sabine's voice added.

Realizing that they were still embracing one another, Ketsu and Maximus let go and awkwardly backed away with embarrassed expressions present on their faces.

"It seems like you two make a dramatic scene the minute you two are left alone together." Leonidas stated.

"Let's just focus on the mission first and teasing Maximus and Ketsu second." Sabine saved the two mentioned Mandos from further embarrassment.

"Very well, I have just received word that our reinforcements will be here in ten minutes." Leonidas announced, "But they won't be able to land if those anti-aircraft batteries remain intact."

"Way to state the obvious." His three compatriots said in unison.

"Obviously a full frontal assault is out of the question, and the other infiltration points of opportunity are electrified", Leonidas ignored the remark, "We need a plan B."

"I think I have one." Maximus spoke up.

All eyes were on Leonidas's blood brother.

"The answer is right in front of us, or all around us in this particular situation", Maximus continued, "We have grenade launchers and this foliage is excellent to mask our positions, back at the crash those thugs couldn't see us or shoot us as a result."

"Yes but there is one small problem, this foliage also messes with our aim, we risk running out of ammo." Sabine cut in.

"Not if we lob the grenades over the foliage and at the base, there blast radius should compensate for our lack of visual. The risk of running out of ammo is still present so we will have to make our shots count." Maximus explained further.

"The plan is basic but it's the best one we have given the circumstances", Ketsu concurred, "Your reinforcements will be killed before they even touch the ground if we don't deal with those guns."

"I agree with Ketsu on this one." Sabine gave her two cents.

"If you think it's the right call, then I'm in." Leonidas gave a nod.

"Leonidas and I will bombard them with the grenade launchers, you two need to keep them off our backs and provide us with targets of opportunity." Maximus ordered.

"Just like old times." Sabine murmured.

The two males of the group relocated to a good grenadier position while the two females double checked their equipment to make sure everything was operational.

"You sure got yourself a committed boyfriend, Sabine." Ketsu told the artistic Mandalorian.

"It's a matter of trust really", Sabine replied as she clipped some flashbangs and thermal detonators to her belt, "It's a mutual bond we share, we do sometimes disagree on each other's plans but we are learning to trust each other's decisions."

"And you met him because of a crash on Tatooine?" Ketsu asked with a smirk before strapping on her helmet.

"I call it a 'happy accident'", Sabine replied before putting on her own helmet, "If I ever met the TIE pilot who gunned down the Ghost I would thank him."

"Now you are messing with me." Ketsu laughed before asking the question.

"Did our time working together truly mean a lot to you?" Ketsu asked.

"It did, Ketsu", Sabine nodded, "You were like a sister, I hope to get those days back after we get out of this mess."

* * *

Cut to the pirate base camp….

A thug droid was pacing back and forth searching for intruders or attackers. Its sensors detected a fast thermal substance coming its way. It looked up to see a grenade launcher shell barreling towards it. The shell hit its mark and the thug droid was blown to bits. The pirates in the vicinity obviously heard the projectile's impact and scrambled to get their weapons as more grenades came rocketing at the camp, destroying some machinery and killing some droids and thugs.

"Let's show these dimwits some girl power." Sabine exclaimed as she drew her pistols.

"Girl power? Really?" Ketsu asked.

"When you come up with another name for it, please tell me!" Sabine shouted as she shot at the incoming pirates.

"I intend to!" Ketsu shouted back before impaling a Weequay that made the mistake of trying to fight her hand to hand.

Sabine darted from cover to cover, using the tall grass, pirate corpses, and rock formations alike. A Nikto in one of the poorly built sentry towers shot at Sabine with his sniper rifle, but the female Mando easily rolled out of the way and chucked a thermal detonator at the tower's legs.

" _Fierfek!"_ The Nikto exclaimed before the detonator went off and sent the tower falling to the ground, killing the Nikto as a result.

Ketsu used the impaled corpse of the Weequay as a shield against the blaster fire and slowly advanced towards some entrenched soldiers. A grenade shell came from above and nailed one of the AA batteries; the gun's remains fell on a Gammorean who stood too close.

"Excellent shooting boys, keep it up!" Sabine shouted into her wristcom after catching a Devaronian's punch and snapping his arm back.

"Sounds like they're having fun." Maximus stated before firing off a few more grenades from his launcher.

"Makes me happy that they are on our side!" Leonidas laughed before firing from his own launcher.

The Weequay corpse shield was a lot more durable than anyone would have thought. Once she was close enough, Ketsu tossed a flashbang into the trench, and when it went off she went on the offensive and time seemed to slow as if it were in slow motion.

Ketsu jumped into the shallow trench and roundhouse kicked the neck of a Gran and snapping the neck of a Selkath. One of the pirates regained his senses from the flashbang and pulled out his DL-44 heavy blaster pistol, aiming it at the Black Sun member. Ketsu dodged the pistol's fire and swept him off his feet with low sweep before stomping his neck in. She quickly retrieved the dead pirate's weapon and shot the two remaining pirates.

Sabine chucked an EMP at three incoming Thug Droids, disabling them instantly. A Trandoshan came at her with a massive Vibrosword and swung for her head; once again time seemed to slow down. Sabine bent back and the blade passed harmlessly over her. She gave the Trandoshan a powerful kick to the knee, causing him to buckle, allowing her to knee kick him in the chin and knocking the reptile on his back. Sabine finished him off with a blaster round between the eyes.

Two final grenade rounds came and nailed two AA batteries that were placed erroneously close to one another. Sabine took out the final one with a well-placed grenade. And with that, all was quite. Leonidas and Maximus came running out of the foliage towards their female companions. Leonidas embraced Sabine with a shout of pride and triumph. Maximus and Ketsu fist bumped in a unique pattern that was mostly improvised, needless to say they won't be doing it again anytime soon.

"We did it!" Ketsu exclaimed victoriously.

The celebration was cut off by a heavy cannon shot that hit one of the tents that was close to their position. They looked to the source to see four speeder tanks approaching them; their gunner's had confident smirks on their faces.

"Looks like we spoke too soon." Maximus said as he drew his sword.

"How are we doing on ammo?" Sabine asked.

"The grenade launchers are tapped out, I have two more cartridges for my pistol, and Maximus has one flashbang, how about you?" Leonidas reported.

"All I have is one more cartridge for my pistols, both are almost empty." Sabine stated.

"I got three more for my pistol, all out of tactical equipment though." Ketsu reported.

"Nothing that could scratch that tank." Sabine sighed, "I guess this is the end."

But Sabine spoke too soon. Heavy fire came from the sky and destroyed the tanks within seconds. The rebels looked up to see rebel fighters coming in along with a transport shuttle.

"Impeccable timing." Maximus laughed.

The shuttle landed itself at the center of the pirate camp's remains. The side ramp opened and rebel soldier came out with blasters at the ready and took up a crouched position scanning for hostiles.

(A/N: If you have played Modern Warfare you will know exactly what I'm talking about XD)

Rosa stepped out as well and ran to embrace her older sister.

"Glad to see you are in one piece." Rosa said with relief.

"It takes more than a few rockets to keep a good Mando down." Sabine stated with a smile, "How did you get past the Imperial Star Destroyers?"

"They are rather lax, slipping past them wasn't that difficult." Rosa replied.

"Has the courier been secured?" Leonidas asked.

Rosa nodded, "He was safely transported to Havok outpost, and they wanted me to inform you of their gratitude."

Rosa then took note of Ketsu.

"What is she doing here?" Rosa asked with a bit of hostility.

"Relax Rosa, she helped us take out those AA batteries." Sabine calmed her sister down.

"Which reminds me, you said you'd think about joining our cause", Maximus addressed Ketsu, "So, have you made your decision yet?"

Ketsu looked to him and removed her helmet.

"It took me a long time to decide, but after seeing your combat prowess, commitment, and conviction, I now see that your rebellion is far from a lost cause." Ketsu answered.

"So you'll join us?" Maximus asked hopefully.

Ketsu gave a small smile and nodded.

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap! Read and Review!**

 **Sorry for the wait but I hope that this chapter compensates for it :). I hope to get a decent amount of reviews, they really help me work and write ;). Thank you all!**

 **Time for an easy and friendly competition, you just need to be serious and participate. When you review, tell me what you think might happen next and if possible, why.**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	13. Hunters of the Force

The Rise of Starkiller

Hunters of the Force

 **Hello all! Good to see you all again :). This is a short chapter but I think you'll enjoy it. I'll update again by the time I reach around 120 reviews.**

 **A/N: Two of my OCs will die in this chapter.**

 **A/N: The last chapter wasn't my best work, the work I've been doing has been killing off my reader cells, but not to worry, your reviews have helped me immensely.**

 **Disclaimer: Look to previous chapters to see what I do and don't own.**

* * *

On a civilian transport…..

"We are about ready to make the jump to hyperspace." A crewman reported to the ship's captain.

"Good, hopefully the safe zone will give these people a break from feeling the Empire breathing down their necks." The captain gave a nod.

"We appreciate your presence here, Johnson." The crewman addressed the Mandalorian.

Johnson was assigned to provide some security along with a small company of rebels to make sure that the Empire didn't intervene. If there was one thing everyone knew, it was that the Empire could never be trusted, they chose what laws were valid and which ones weren't. And who could blame them, no one would dare defy them.

"We are just trying to do our part." Johnson stated.

The ship was rattled, causing a few of the passengers to lose balance.

"What now!?" the captain sighed.

" _An Imperial cruiser has us locked in their tractor beam, it is different from any Star Destroyer I've ever seen."_ The pilot's voice replied through the captain's wristcom.

"It would appear that we made the right decision enlisting your protection." The captain addressed the Mando.

"Indeed, alright men, let's give our guests a warm welcome!" Johnson shouted before he and the rebels ran and took up defensive positions in front of the door that a docking latch locked on to.

A mother was tucked away inside an alcove that wasn't already being used as a hiding spot by a refugee. In her arms was a baby girl, fear clearly had overtaken the infant's mind as it began to cry despite her mother's attempts to calm her down.

Back at the door, the rebels all could feel cold sweat sticking to their skin, be it from anticipation or from fear. The silence was finally broken when two red lightsabers cut through both sides of the door and began to carve it out. The grips on the rebel's blasters tightened as the door got closer to being cut down. When the task was completed the lightsabers receded and the door was kicked through the hallway, hitting a few rebels in the process. In a panic the rebels, including Johnson opened fire on the door, but two red lightsabers and one black saber deflected the shots back at the rebels. The rebel soldiers that weren't hit by their own fire began to fall back as the Sith gradually advanced, continuing the cycle of deflecting cutting down anyone who stood in their way.

Soon it was just Johnson left, he hid in one of the alcoves, clenching his blaster tightly. He took a few deep breathes and broke from cover and aimed for the leader's head only to feel an invisible force pinch his windpipe shut. The female of the Triad walked forward and swiftly decapitated Johnson. The Mandos body and head seemed to hit the ground at the same time.

"Pathetic." The bulky one of the group scoffed in a gruff voice.

"And here I was hoping for a challenge." The female of the group laughed.

"You can relish the death after we've obtained what we came for." The leader said sternly.

The woman was shivering in fright, the hold she had on her child became one of iron as the Siths footsteps got louder with every beat of her heart. Soon the walking nightmare stood in front of her, staring at her through his cold helmet.

"You should rest easy, in fact you should be proud. Your child is going to be a part of something bigger than you could possibly imagine." The leader chortled.

"Please, I beg of you, take me instead, just leave my child out of this." The mother pleaded.

Her response was a darksaber impaling her through the chest. The last sounds that the infant's mother made was a surprised yelp and a final gulp of air before going to the afterlife. The baby wailed very loudly at her grandmother's death. The leader gave a gentle 'shushing' noise to the baby and waved his clawed hand over her head, causing her to go into a deep slumber.

"Fear not little one, for you shall be part of the mighty galactic Empire", the female of the group gave a mocking coo to the sleeping child, "We had to take your mother out of the equation; she was holding you back."

"Sunev, enough", the Leader said firmly, "Inform Lord Vader that the infant didn't make it, tell him that she died during a crossfire."

"Of course sir, but I fear what may happen to you should Vader react negatively." Sunev gave a nod.

"His orders were to capture the child alive if possible, I refuse to let her go to waste in a lab", the Leader snarled, "They already tried cloning me and those Terror Troopers were the only working results. No, this little girl will become a part of my New Order, she will learn the true meaning of power."

"As you wish, lord Starkiller." Sunev gave a bow of respect before leaving.

* * *

Meanwhile aboard the _Savior_ ….

Jacob looked a little down when he returned from a supply run with Quasar Company. It all happened so quickly, an imperial spotted them, the next thing they knew they were being attacked by seemingly endless troopers. Rico stayed behind to hold them off so the others could escape, he gave up his own life to save his comrades. Although his mourning was short, the demo cadet would always be remembered for putting the lives of others before his own. This had only served as a motivator for the Rebel Alliance to fight back with more valor and tenacity.

"Still thinking about Rico?" Ezra asked Jacob, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I just can't believe it, I thought he'd make it for sure." Jacob sighed before standing back up.

"We all think that when a fellow soldier perishes", Rosa stated, "But we must take solace in his passing, and keep fighting the good fight, so his sacrifice won't be in vain."

The ship's intercom cut the conversation short.

" _I need all Ghost crew to report to the Bridge, effective immediately."_ Yitzhak's voice rang through the intercom.

"I guess the Galaxy needs us again." Ezra mused before following Rosa and Jacob to the bridge.

When they arrived, only Hera, Zeb, Kanan, Ahsoka, Yitzhak, and Jarvis were present.

"Where is everyone else?" Ezra asked.

"Sabine, Leonidas, Maximus, and Ketsu are on Taris currently and are sabotaging Imperial labs experimenting with the Rakghoul plague", Kanan replied, "Deadeye and Shadow are on Voss retrieving some medical herbs, HK-51, Chopper, and Cortez are salvaging what they can from the abandoned factories on Geonosis to make some security droids."

"Everyone here are the only ones that are available for this priority red mission." Ahsoka explained, "Over the past few rotations, Imperial forces have been attacking civilian transports, seemingly at random, but then we isolated a common denominator."

"The children aboard were inspected, a few of them were taken for unknown purposes. A few hours ago, a transport leaving the Chandel system was attacked by a unique Star Destroyer, this is our chance to investigate." Yitzhak picked up for Ahsoka.

"This transport also happened to have Johnson and a squad of rebels aboard." Hera chimed in, "You three will be coming with Zeb Kanan and I to the planet Takobo to find the child that they are after."

"Ma'am, how do we know that the child is on Takobo?" Rosa asked.

"I don't, but Ahsoka does." Hera gestured towards the Togruta.

"You can sense the child?" Yitzhak asked incredulously.

Ahsoka merely nodded, knowing that no amount of detail could explain how she detected the child and how she knew that the Empire would be after it.

"Let's move then", Hera stated; when they were in space the Twi'lek was in charge.

"I'll go investigate the transport then." Ahsoka said.

"I'll come with." Yitzhak declared.

"No disrespect, but are you sure that your fighting is the same as it was during the clone wars?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'm not that old." Yitzhak chuckled, "I'm only 54 years old."

Everyone looked at him with eyes wide, how could a 54 year old look like someone in his early 40s?!

"He hasn't rusted at all, Master Tano." Kanan vouched for the fleet commander, "I've seen the way he trains the cadets."

"Very well then, I just hope that we don't need another fleet commander when this is over." Ahsoka sighed in defeat.

The two groups had divided, Ahsoka and Yitzhak used the Phantom to go to the dead-in-space transport while the rest used the Ghost to go to Takobo.

* * *

With Yitzhak and Ahsoka…..

It didn't take long for the two commanders to find the abandoned transport carrier, it took even less time to successfully latch onto the airlock. Yitzhak put on his helmet and activated his sword, spinning it around to get a feel for it again.

"I'll take point, you will follow." Ahsoka ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Yitzhak gave a quick salute.

The emergency lights were getting dimmer and dimmer with every minute, but it was enough light for the two to see the horrors that the Triad had left for them to see. Many corpses were sprawled across the ground will lightsaber cuts on their bodies, some were missing heads, including Johnson.

"Ahsoka, I found Johnson…. He's KIA." Yitzhak reported somberly.

"He will be remembered, let's make sure that his sacrifice wasn't for nothing." Ahsoka said solemnly.

As they walked into the next corridor, the sounds of coughing echoed through the halls. Ahsoka and Yitzhak snapped to the source to find the ship's captain beaten within an inch of his life, death looked as though it would come to claim him at any given moment.

"H-h-help m-me." The captain croaked; a giant loss of blood will do that to a guy.

"Easy captain, easy." Ahsoka stated as she helped him lean against the wall.

Yitzhak gave Ahsoka his canteen of water; knowing that she would give it to the man. The Jedi did just that and the man's voice became clearer.

"T-they c-came, they t-took the child." The pilot groaned in pain.

"Who took the child?" Yitzhak asked.

"T-the Triad, t-they called themselves the D-dark side T-triad." The captain wheezed out his own blood, "T-the child w-was n-named Alora, s-she was f-fleeing t-the system under the c-care of her g-grandmother Darja Zakly."

"Do you have any ideas as to why they would kidnap a baby?" Ahsoka asked in a soothing voice that only a truly caring Jedi like her could possess.

"T-they s-said s-she was strong in the f-f-force", the captain's response made the Jedi and Mando's eyes shoot open in shock, "T-their leader, s-said s-she would b-be a part of a N-new O-order….."

The captain's eyes rolled back into his skull and he went limp, it was a miracle that he lasted as long as he did.

"This is not good." Yitzhak murmured as he closed the corpse's eyelids.

"No it's not, back in the Clone Wars an event just like this transpired, my master and I found them on Mustafar before the Separatists could conduct experiments on them." Ahsoka said with a bit of worry laced in her voice.

"But if Starkiller is the one who captured her…." Yitzhak began.

"Then there is no telling what he will do to her." Ahsoka finished.

* * *

Aboard the _Bain of the Phantasms_ …..

The room was dark with a single tube full of blue liquid linked to a machine was in the middle of said room. The Triad were listening in on the science expert of the cruiser.

"As per your orders Lord Starkiller, we have duplicated the incubation tank used on Kamino, it will accelerate growth and maturation just like it did with the clone troopers." The officer explained.

"Excellent", Starkiller chuckled then looked down at the unconscious baby in his arms, "When we meet again little one, you will be a lot more cooperative when we train you."

"The infant is currently two years old." The officer reported.

"Incubate her until she has aged by ten years, then we can train a new member of our little family." Starkiller chuckled.

* * *

 **Annnnnd, that's chapter 13. Can anyone guess the direction this story is going? ;)**

 **A/N: Johnson and Rico are now dead, this makes my story more interesting and it helps cut down my OC count.**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	14. Hunters of the Force II

The Rise of Starkiller

Hunters of the Force II

 **Hello all! I'm back with more Star Wars! I'm going to be kicking this off with the "previously on the Walking Dead" style flashback. Just something new to keep things interesting.**

 **Not much else to say today, except for a big thank you to my readers and supporters :D**

 **Disclaimer: Refer to earlier chapters to know who owns what.**

* * *

 _Previously, on The Rise of Starkiller_ …..

(Ahsoka's voice over the scene of the Triad breaking into the transport)

"Lately Imperials have been attacking civilian transports."

(Yitzhak's voice over Johnson's Death Scene)

"They kill everyone aboard, and have taken a few children from some of the transports."

(Sunev picking up the child scene)

"You will be a part of something far greater then you could possibly imagine." Sunev told the infant in her arms.

(Dying captain's scene)

"T-they, s-said s-s-she was st-strong, in the f-f-for-force." The captain croaked.

(Ending scene of the last chapter)

"When we meet again little one you will be far more cooperative and mature." Starkiller said to the infant as she is placed inside the growth acceleration tubes; like the ones on Kamino.

(A/N: I know, I know, it isn't easy to write out these 'last time on' scenes.)

* * *

Aboard the Ghost….

" _I'm sorry Skyrazor, but we won't be able to rendezvous at Takobo",_ a hologram of Sabine told Hera using her codename; the only other passengers present in the cockpit were Kanan and Zeb, the younger members aboard were in the training room, _"The labs were a lot larger than the scans indicated, we'll be here for at least two more rotations, and that's only if Solar has our shuttle out of the muck by then."_

"I understand Twister, were any of you hurt or bitten by a Rakghoul?" Hera asked sternly; if you got bit by a Rakghoul without getting vaccinated then you would go through three stages of pain before you become one yourself.

" _We've been attacked by them but no bites or skin punctures, our armor has proven most useful",_ Sabine reported, _"The local villages have vaccines to stop infection for a few hours but they are useless if you are already bitten, Nightwolf procured enough to last us a week."_

"That's good", Kanan said with some relief in his voice, "The last thing we need are more casualties."

" _You can't get rid of us that easily."_ Sabine joked lightly.

"Stay safe Twister." Hera told the female Mando; she was like a daughter to her.

" _Same to you, Skyrazor. Twister out!"_ Sabine saluted before the hologram faded.

"So much for the cavalry." Zeb sighed.

"We have gotten through missions without them long before Sabine or Leonidas were even introduced into the crew, we can handle this." Kanan stated with confidence.

"The last time you said that we were being attacked by terror troopers on an abandoned frigate." Zeb mumbled.

"Zeb, I don't think it would matter whether or not they were there", Hera replied, "If they are even half as deadly as you described them, it wouldn't matter if you had an army backing you up."

"She does raise a good point." Kanan admitted.

"Does she ever _not_ raise a good point?" Zeb asked.

* * *

In the Ghost's training room…..

Ezra and Rosa were sparring with one another while Jacob was just striking a punching bag that was covered with the Wren sisters' graffiti.

When Rosa saw an opening in Ezra's formation she struck his exposed ribcage, causing him to buckle from the pain; albeit not nearly as much as he used to, Rosa then kicked Ezra's feet out from under, causing him fall on his back. The young Jedi found himself pinned by female Mandalorian; the latter of which had a dull practice knife in hand and pointed at Ezra's throat.

"I win." Rosa said with a smirk.

Sabine's younger sister spoke too soon, Ezra used one of his legs and wrapped it around the side of Rosa's shoulder, throwing her off of him and leaving him on top of her with the same harmless practice knife in hand. The two laughed lightly at the turn of events, their eyes locked and both of their heartrates seemed to spike. Their faces inched closer to one another but the magical moment was ruined by Jacob!

"I hate to interrupt, but we are needed in the cockpit." Jacob stated; whether or not he knew that he destroyed the magical moment was unknown to the Jedi and Mandalorian.

Ezra then realized the position he was in with Rosa and blushed with embarrassment as he got off of her and helped her up. The two looked at each other for a few seconds before following Jacob to the cockpit, neither noticed the red in the other's cheeks.

* * *

When they entered the cockpit, a hologram of Ahsoka Tano was there to greet the crew.

" _Now that you are all present I can begin",_ the Togruta said, _"Yitzhak and I have found the transport, everyone aboard was killed, including Johnson."_

Everyone's eyes widened a bit before they regained their calm composure.

" _The captain managed to tell us what happened during his last moments, he said that the Dark Side Triad was responsible for the attack and they have abducted a baby girl who is strong in the force."_ Ahsoka continued.

"This is just like the baby abductions during the Clone Wars." Hera said with chagrin.

" _My thoughts exactly, Skyrazor",_ Ahsoka concurred, _"But this time is different, Starkiller isn't leaving any breadcrumbs to follow like the bounty hunter did in the Clone Wars, he is too smart to do that."_

"So we are heading to Takobo to get to a force sensitive before he does?" Ezra asked.

" _That is correct, contacting the family via comlink is far too risky; we need to do this the old fashioned way."_ Yitzhak stepped in.

"What do we do if we run into Starkiller on the mission?" Jacob asked.

" _He is to be avoided at all costs, none of you can face him."_ Ahsoka ordered sternly, _"Yitzhak and I will be arriving at Takobo in a few hours to lend a hand should you run into the Triad."_

"Will do ma'am." Kanan saluted.

" _May the Force be with you all."_ Ahsoka gave a short bow before the hologram faded away.

"Well that ain't good." Rosa was the first to speak.

"That would be putting it very lightly, Rosa", Zeb remarked, "One Inquisitor was a living nightmare, two are the banes of our very existence, but two inquisitors plus a powerful Sith Assassin is our doom!"

"Way to be optimistic, Zeb." Ezra sarcastically quipped.

"There is a fine line between pessimism and pragmatism, boy." Zeb shot back.

"Enough you two!" Hera silenced the two before the argument escalated as it always did, "Stop acting like toddlers and start acting like soldiers!"

"Yes ma'am!" Ezra saluted with fear; she could be a very scary woman when she wanted to.

"Good!" Hera sighed as she calmed herself down, "Kanan, why don't you give them the plan B in the event that the Dark Assassin crosses our path."

"Of course", Kanan gave a nod, "As Master Tano stated earlier we are to avoid Darth Starkiller at all times during this mission, we already lost Johnson to this menace, I don't want to lose anyone else. If one of us has a confirmed visual on the Sith, he or she is to contact the rest of the group immediately and avoid detection, we will regroup at the hangar where the Ghost is docked and get the heck out of here. Plain and simple, any questions?"

Jacob raised his hand; Kanan gave him the go-ahead to ask his question.

"How is it that we learned about this force sensitive baby?" Jacob asked the same question his father had.

"An anonymous tip claiming to support our rebellion, he also provided the name of the child's family." Kanan replied.

"And how exactly do we know that this isn't the Triad luring us here?" Rosa asked.

"I myself wonder the same thing." Hera concurred, "This Starkiller knows how to exploit the Jedis' principles to his advantage, that's probably how he has always been one step ahead of us."

"Look, no matter the risk we must help those in need, and if it is a trap set by the Empire, then it will be their funeral." Zeb gave his two cent.

"Or ours." Ezra murmured.

"Something on your mind Ezra?" Hera asked with some concern laced in her words.

"I guess I'm beginning to question our actual odds of winning this war, just when we thought we had the upper hand, Starkiller shows up and destroys half of our fleet and then some." Ezra sighed.

"Doubt is what the Sith want you to feel, Ezra", Kanan said in a solemn tone, "Banish it from your mind and look towards a brighter outcome."

"Profound." Hera stated with a dry sense of sarcasm.

"I think you should leave the words of wisdom to Master Tano." Zeb concurred, his tone was also dry.

Rosa, Ezra, and Jacob gave a nod of acquiescence. No other words were spoken as they began their descent.

* * *

Takobo spaceport Sanctumis….

"Hera, you should remain here with the Ghost incase things go sour, we'll need to make a quick getaway if Starkiller really is here." Kanan ordered.

"You got it", Hera gave a quick salute of acknowledgement, "Be sure to use your helmetcoms only, we need to keep sound to a minimum."

"Yes ma'am!" Everyone put on their helmets.

"Does everyone remember your cover story should you be questioned by an Imperial or Civilian?" Hera continued with her authoritive voice.

"We are travelin' scavengers hopin' ta sell some parts to feed the young'uns." Zeb said with a deliberate outlandish accent as he showed some spare mechanical components that were rusted to high heaven to prove his point.

"You don't need to use the accent, Zeb." Kanan told the Lasat, "If anything I think you'll offend some of the locals."

Zeb sighed in defeat.

"Then we are good team, mission is a go." Hera stated as she gestured for her comrades to move out.

* * *

Takobo Town plaza….

The Rebels could officially call Takobo 'Lothal 2.0'. It was a lot like the rebels' old base of operations in terms of condition and appearance, but on the bright side the Imperial presence seemed to be a bit lighter than it was on Lothal.

Occasionally the group would receive a suspicion glance from one of or both of the stormtroopers on patrol; they were grouped in pairs of two. Their cover was almost blown when they came across two stormtroopers beating down a local merchant who didn't bribe them to leave him alone, every fiber of Jacob's being yearned to put a stop to the brutish beat down, but Ezra and Rosa held him back. The two troopers had beaten the merchant to the floor and searched his pockets to pull out a small handful of silver credits. The troopers walked away after pocketing the stolen currency.

The merchant coughed up some bile mixed with blood as he crawled to the wall so he could have something to lean against. Kanan walked up to him and gave him some gold credits to replace the amount stolen by the Stormtroopers, perhaps a little more than what was stolen.

"B-bless you sir, bless you." The merchant thanked the Jedi.

Kanan just nodded before resuming leading the way to the HVI.

* * *

After a few more minutes of walking they reached a poorly maintained apartment complex with tones of graffiti; which wasn't nearly as artistic as Sabine or Rosa's work, to say it was a sty would be an understatement. As they were about to enter Rosa let out a loud whisper.

" _Get down, NOW!"_ Rosa exclaimed sotto voce.

Her allies complied and ducked behind the many discarded supply crates.

An ID9 Seeker probe hovered across the path the rebels originally occupied and hovered in place as it scanned the area, letting out a series of chirps and the fact that its antenna was out implied it was communicating with its mistress. After a minute or two it concluded that there was nothing of note and moved on.

Once they were sure that the coast was clear, the rebels emerged from hiding.

"That droid belongs to Sunev." Jacob was the first to speak, "A member of the Triad and a strategic and deadly one at that."

"What are the odds that Brutus and Starkiller aren't too far behind?" Rosa asked somewhat rhetorically.

"Very, very high." Ezra replied.

"Then we need to pick up the pace", Kanan concurred before speaking into his wristcom, "Skyrazor this is Seraph do you copy?"

" _This is Skyrazor, I read you, go ahead Seraph."_ Hera acknowledged.

"We have encountered an ID9 Seeker droid, we have good reason to believe that it belongs to Sunev." Kanan filled Hera in.

" _Then her two colleagues are probably here as well."_ Hera deduced.

"My thoughts exactly", Kanan continued, "Stay on your toes and be ready to get us out of here."

" _Will do, Skyrazor out!"_ Hera adhered.

"Alright team, listen up, I need two of you to take up sentry duty and keep an eye out for the Triad." Kanan announced.

"Ezra and I will handle it." Rosa volunteered herself and the young Jedi; albeit without his consent.

"Very well, stay safe you two, we'll contact you when we have the HVIs." Zeb stated.

"We will, you can't keep a good rebel down." Rosa said with her usual optimism.

"We can only hope, let's go!" Kanan ordered.

* * *

With the extraction team….

The group traveled to the third floor of the complex and walked up to one of the doors, which was notably cleaner than the others around it.

"At least this infant's parents aren't slobs." Zeb murmured.

Kanan walked up to the door and gently rapped his knuckles against it. After few seconds the door was opened by a female Nautolan with blue tendrils for hair instead of the average green.

"Do I know you?" She asked with a furrowed brow.

"Are you Mrs. Namiil?" Kanan asked.

"Yes bu…." The Nautolan replied but was cut off before she could question the Jedi.

"You need to get out of here immediately! Your child is in danger." Kanan said with a large amount of urgency in his voice.

The alien's husband showed up behind her; like her he was a Nautolan, but instead of blue tendrils, his were a red hue. Whether or not it was tattooed that way or if he was with that color was unknown to all.

"Who are you? What's this I hear about having to leave?" Mr. Namiil asked with a little bit of hostility towards the rebels.

"The Empire, they are coming to take your child and your lives!" Jacob spoke up.

"Why would the Empire want our son!?" Mrs. Namiil snapped.

"We know about his link to the force." Kanan stated calmly.

The two Nautolans' eyes went wide with shock.

"How do you know, we've never told anyone?" Mrs. Namiil's voice changed from hostile to panicked.

"An anonymous tip, we don't have time to divulge the details, we need to get you and your son out of here." Zeb said firmly.

The two Nautolan's sighed in defeat.

"Very well, give us a few minutes to get our essentials." Mr. Namiil submitted.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Kanan showed his gratitude to the parents.

* * *

Meanwhile with the two rebels on Sentry Duty….

When their fellow soldier went in to extract the family nothing of note really happened for the Sentries to warn them about, a few Stormtroopers every now and then along with a giant amount of litter was hardly a threat. As such, the Mando and Jedi grew bored within minutes and played a game of 'Would you rather' while they scoped the area to pass the time.

"Okay I got a good one", Rosa said with a small laugh; Ezra's previous 'Would you rather' gave her a good laugh, "Would you rather: Fight the Dark Side Triad alone all at once, or mess up my sister's artwork?"

"I'd take my chances with the Triad." Ezra tittered, "No contest."

Rosa got a laugh from it as well before something airborne captured her attention. Rosa zoomed in using her Macrobinoculars to see Imperial drop pods incoming with the Empire Symbol of Loyalty painted on their sides.

"What are those?" Ezra asked in awe.

"Imperial drop pods." Rosa murmured back as she looked and waited to see what would come out of them.

The doors to the pods; four of them to be precise, were knocked straight off their hinges by a giant droid of sorts. It had a green spine-like appendage on its hunched over back along with arms and legs; which were both used for the droid to move, that could easily be mistaken for an Acklay's. And to top it all off it had a Kaleesh skull for a head. The four of them let out a small cry to announce their presence and began to make a beeline for the rebels' current position.

"What are _those_ things?" Ezra asked again.

"I have no clue, but we need to warn the others!" Rosa exclaimed as she activated her wristcom, "Seraph, we have a bit of a situation here, unknown hostiles are approaching, they are armed and very dangerous."

" _We have the family, stay put we are on our way!"_ Kanan's voice answered, _"Just stay put and engage only if you have no other choice, Seraph out!"_

"I'm afraid that those droids are the least of our problems, look!" Ezra pointed to the sky where an all too familiar nightmare of a cruiser was stationed: _Bain of the Phantasms_.

"Can we ever get a break!?" Rosa rubbed her eyelids before putting her helmet back on and drawing her blaster pistols.

"We can ponder later, we have a fight on our hands!"

* * *

 **Annnd that's a wrap! Thank you all for your support :) You are all very awesome! :D**

 **A/N: Contest time! Can you identify the droids that came from the drop pods? Leave your guess in your review and if you are correct you get a spot in clan Akaan, or if you are already a part of the clan, you get a promotion! :D**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	15. Hunters of the Force III

The Rise of Starkiller

Hunters of the Force III

 **I'm baaaaack with another chapter! :D Wow, just WOW, I can't believe the amount of reviews I received, thank you all so much!**

 **Time to list the contest winners, the reviewers who identified the unknown hostile at the end of the last chapter are:**

 **Vakama**

 **SPARTAN-626**

 **Richardblue1987**

 **Burke23**

 **Congrats to you 3, you are true followers of Star Wars :) Vakama, you are no longer an Akaan private, you are now an Akaan Sergeant! SPARTAN-626, you have been promoted to Akaan Major. Richardblue1987, welcome to the Akaan family :D**

 **I'd like to apologize for the wait, I've been busy lately.**

 **Disclaimer: All I own are my OCs. Everything else is property of Disney.**

* * *

On the planet Takobo….

As Kanan disconnected his com call with Rosa, the Nautolans got nervous from what the exchanged words described.

"What is happening?" Mrs. Namiil asked in a voice as calm as she could make given the circumstances; not wanting to upset the baby Nautolan in her arms.

"Unknown hostiles were deployed from the atmosphere and we have a visual on a modified Star Destroyer." Kanan replied with a serious expression.

"How much are you willing to bet it belongs to Darth Starkiller?" Jacob asked as he loaded his pistols.

"I'd bet my left hand", Zeb stated; half joking half serious as he put on his special mask, "What's the play boss?"

"We need to double-time it back to the main floor and regroup with Gearshift and Flare." Kanan responded, "Then we need to find a means of faster transportation so we can get back to the Ghost!"

"Then let's move." Zeb took point and led the team to the stairs and began their descent.

* * *

With Ezra and Rosa….

"How much longer till those things reach us?" Ezra asked; ignoring the sweat that was forming on his brow.

"I'd estimate…. Fifteen minutes, should be plenty of time." Rosa reported.

"More than enough." Jacob's voice came from behind them.

The Jedi and artistic Mando turned to see the extraction team and the three Nautolans.

"I have two speeders out back." Mr. Namiil announced, "Each can only fit two."

"You and your wife should take one, Mr. Namiil, two of us will take the other to protect you from any Imperials." Kanan gave his plan.

"Sounds good to me." Mr. Namiil smiled slightly as his wife strapped their infant to her back securely and safely for the speeder ride, "Which of you will take the second speeder?"

"Jacob and I will handle escort duty." Zeb spoke with conviction, "He and I's equipment is significantly heavier than you three's; we'd only slow you down."

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked the Lasat.

Both the alien and the young Mando nodded.

"Very well, may the force guide you." Kanan said with a confident smile.

"What ever happened to 'May the Force be With You?'" Ezra joked; getting a laugh out of Zeb and Rosa.

The older Jedi didn't respond; let alone react, he only gestured for everyone to commence their part.

The Nautolan family mounted their speeder as the Lasat and young man mounted theirs before taking off into town and towards the spaceport.

* * *

With the remaining rebels…..

"So how exactly are we supposed to get to the spaceport now?" Rosa asked.

"We'll proceed on foot until alternate means of transportation becomes available." Kanan replied, "Let's move team, time to see if those runs Yitzhak put you through have paid off!"

The younger rebels obeyed without question and broke into a steady sprint, their stamina making it as taxing as a leisurely jog. It seemed like the Terror Biodroids took note of their fleeing targets and changed their path so they could continue to chase them down, and they were gaining fast.

"Care to explain why we decided to run from who-knows-what kind of droids instead of procuring a transport?!" Ezra shouted to Kanan.

"We are the diversion, those things will catch up to us, but they will come for us first instead of searching for the Nautolans while they are being extracted!" Kanan replied.

"THAT'S YOUR PLAN?!" the two cadets exclaimed in unison.

"Hey, it isn't like we haven't executed some questionable strategies in past!" Kanan defended himself.

Before the argument could continue, an almost animalistic battle cry erupted from the streets behind them. Causing the pedestrians who weren't still wondering why three masked individuals were sprinting through the streets, to either hide from or look at the source of the sound. Three of the six Biodroids were rampaging through the town, crushing any obstacle that stood between them and their targets.

"Man those things are fast." Ezra stated with shock and disbelief.

"Their size definitely would suggest otherwise." Rosa concurred.

"Split up, keep those things away from the civilians!" Kanan ordered.

"Yes sir!" the two cadets complied and went in separate directions, prompting the Terror Biodroids to split up as well in an effort to complete their mission.

* * *

Rosa took off towards a small alley between two buildings. The young woman jumped on the wall and propelled herself up towards the adjacent wall and continued the process until she was on the rooftops. She looked down to see the Terror Biodroid make use of its sickle-like arms and vaulted itself through the air and onto the wall, using its claws to climb the remainder of the distance.

"Woah!" Rosa muttered before jumping to the next rooftop with the mechanical menace not far behind.

The Mando drew her pistol and shot at the droid, the bolts connected but it didn't make a dent in its plated body. The Biodroid took a swing at the spunky rebel, but she rolled out of the way and kept running. This time Rosa tried a different approach and unclipped an EMP grenade from her belt; or a 'Droid Popper' as Captain Rex called them, and turned briefly and tossed it at the juggernaut of a droid. The grenade activated when it was in point-blank range of the droid and the waves of EMP made the enemy screech in either irritation or agony but it didn't deactivate, it only got angrier.

"That's new." Rosa muttered to herself before ducking a vicious melee from the Terror Biodroid.

As Rosa ran across another rooftop she noticed an erect piece of pipe sticking out of the building's roof; it looked ready to fall off any minute. Rosa stuck her hand out and snagged the pipe out of the concrete with relative ease, she then put it to use when she came upon a large gap between her and the next building. Using the pipe to vault herself over, Rosa narrowly dodged another one of the creature's swipes. The momentum the droid put into its attack caused it stumble right off the building and to the pavement below with a load crack and roar of pain.

Rosa looked below to see that the gap was a little deeper than she originally anticipated and saw the Biodroid's impact made an indentation on the ground, it was also enough to kill the monster.

"If only big sis Sabine were here to see this." Rosa smiled to herself before continuing towards the extraction point.

* * *

Ezra's route was a bit more straightforward than his crush's route. The Jedi in training steered clear of the populated areas with buildings, wanting to cut down on collateral damage, and instead lured the Biodroid who decided to chase him outside of the small town and around the sparsely populated outer section. What it lacked in cover and strategical points, it made up for with a vast area for maneuvering. Ezra was only a beginner in terms of using the force to increase his speed, but it was enough to outrun the hulking droid.

Ezra dodged left and right as the droid tried to hit him with its sharp arms, but the Jedi successfully evaded each the droid's attempts with relative ease. Ezra's common sense told him that neither his saber-pistol nor his regular blaster would make a dent in the Biodroid, so the majority of his brain was scrambling to find a way to kill it or at least slow it down so he could escape. In terms of terrain to help him execute that part of the plan, Ezra didn't do so well. The Jedi of course recognized that fact and had no choice but to make a run back for the town; he needed something solid and heavy for his plan to work.

Fortunately for Ezra, a giant concrete barrier that separated two sizeable structures fulfilled all of the requisites. Running towards the barrier with the Biodroid hot on his tail Ezra prayed that he would succeed. As the Terror droid thrust his sickle-like arms towards him, Ezra jumped over the attack; the blade arms made contact with the wall behind him instead, and landed on the Terror Biodroid's back!

The droid growled in frustration and tried to move its arms, only to find that they were stuck in the concrete barrier, giving him a difficult time attempting to remove them. Ezra turned on his lightsaber and sliced open a green power cable that acted as a spine for the hunchback droid and ripped it out using the force before plunging his weapon into the now exposed back of the droid.

The results were immediate, following a howl of pain the Biodroid went limp and fell face first into the barrier; making the concrete crack a little.

Ezra released a sigh of relief and removed a unique component from the Biodroid that he's never seen before.

"Cortez will find out just what you are." Ezra said to the inanimate component before storing it in one of his belt pouches; the component was no bigger than his fist.

* * *

Kanan decided to try a more direct approach with the Biodroid, instead of causing more collateral damage in a chase, why not try to put it down now before it hurts someone? Risky and slightly idiotic would be the two words that any reasonable person would use to describe the tactic, but then again, Kanan's plans do seem to work in the long run…. Some of the times anyway.

"You want to fight you big bully?" Kanan asked as he activated his lightsaber and held it at the ready.

The droid was obviously incapable of answering in a verbal manner that the Jedi would understand, but Kanan got the gist of the droid's response when it slashed at him rapidly with its sharp arms. The Jedi ducked and rolled to dodge the strikes; which made giant cracks in the road when they missed their mark, and swung his saber at the droid's incoming swipe. Instead of the lightsaber burning through the droid's arm like Kanan hoped, it was stopped at the blade's front as if it was another lightsaber.

"Cortosis? You gotta be kidding me!?" Kanan mentally groaned.

The droid pushed back against the blade lock, due to its significant height and weight advantage over the man, it won the lock with little strain; knocking the Jedi across the street like a smooth rock across a body of water.

"That could've gone better." Kanan mumbled to himself as he stood up and regained his footing.

The rebel then saw the Terror Biodroid soar through the air with its cold and unnerving glare trained on the Jedi; eager to slice and dice him with momentum as an advantage.

Kanan used the force and levitated some debris from the road and chucked it at the airborne droid. The debris hit its mark and the droid fell down to the ground, landing on its back.

Much like a crustaceous animal, it struggled to get back on its feet, it was almost laughable, but Kanan saw it as an opportunity to finish the droid off and dashed forward towards the squirming giant and jumped on its exposed chest.

Kanan swung his saber right across the droids face causing all of its flailing to come to halt and go limp. The Jedi let out a sigh of relief and deactivated his weapon before clipping it back on his belt.

"These guys are definitely off of my 'to-see' list." Kanan half laughed half noted to himself.

* * *

With Ezra….

Ezra had resumed his beeline for the spaceport, but was met with some unfortunate obstacles, the imperial patrols were a lot more abundant near the spaceport; no doubt from the reports of rebel activity and the presence of Darth Starkiller. Nevertheless Ezra maintained stealth and speed with his route, until an opportunity presented itself, one that Ezra considered to be a sign of the Force favoring the rebel's cause. A lone speeder bike was deactivated and guarded only by its pilot; who seemed to be communicating with another Imperial via helmetcom. Ezra didn't possess a knife, instead he possessed a makeshift taser that could shut down someone's nerves for a few hours, effectively knocking them out. Ezra jammed the taser into to the side of the Imperial's neck, causing him to let out a slight grunt of pain before collapsing onto the ground. Ezra relieved the soldier of his pistol and destroyed the com inside his helmet before taking the speeder for himself.

* * *

Back with Rosa….

Rosa was running out of roof to use, and the walls were too far apart for her to use to slow her fall. Fortunately for her, she didn't have to wait long for solution to come. Ezra had hijacked an Imperial speeder bike after he killed his Terror Biodroid and was lucky to have noticed Rosa atop one of the many buildings.

"Hey Rosa!" Ezra shouted, catching the Mandalorian's attention, "Jump, I can catch you!"

"How?" Rosa shouted back down.

"Just trust me!" Ezra replied.

Rosa swallowed her nerves and jumped down towards the speeder, when she neared the ground, she felt an invisible force catch her, breaking her fall and placing her safely on the ground. It didn't take Rosa even a second to know that Ezra was responsible for cushioning her drop.

Ezra seemed a bit fatigued from the amount of force energy he put into catching Rosa, but was happy that his instincts were correct; Sabine would have put his head on a pike if he let Rosa get hurt!

"Nice one Ezra." Rosa complimented as she sat behind Ezra; grabbing his shoulders for support as the speeder resumed its course towards the spaceport.

Both of the young ones were thankful that their helmets hid their blushes.

* * *

Meanwhile at Takobo Spaceport…..

Jacob, Zeb, and the Namiil family arrived safely at the spaceport and dismounted from their vehicles.

"Follow me!" Zeb declared as he led the Nautolans to the hangar the Ghost was docked in.

A squad of Stormtroopers anticipated their arrival though and were waiting for them inside of the spaceport.

"Freeze Rebel scum!" a Stormtrooper barked before opening fire on the group.

The Nautolans ducked for cover while the Lasat and Mandalorian returned fire, but more Stormtroopers were taking position in the spacious spaceport.

"This is Warbeast to Seraph", Zeb spoke into his helmetcom after gunning down two more Stormtroopers, "We are pinned by Imperial soldiers in corridor 207, requesting backup!"

" _Affirmative Warbeast, we are enroot, ETA five minutes."_ Kanan's voice replied.

"Be quick about it Seraph, I don't know how much longer we can keep them back!" Zeb exclaimed before shutting off his helmetcom.

"Could this situation get any worse!?" Jacob shouted.

As if to answer his question, the Inquisitor known as Brutus walked into the corridor with his lightsaber activated. The Stormtroopers ceased fire and stood at attention as he passed.

"End of the line, Rebel scum." Brutus chuckled as he pointed his saber at Zeb.

"You had to ask." Zeb murmured to Jacob.

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap! Read review and enjoy :D!**

 **Sorry for the wait, I needed to focus on my Schoolwork so I didn't have much energy to work on this story, but I hope that that situation will change soon, fingers crossed XD**

 **A/N: The more reviews I get, the faster I work :)**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	16. Hunters of the Force IV

The Rise of Starkiller

Hunters of the Force IV

 **Hello and welcome to the final part of the Hunters of the Force chapter arc; for lack of a better term, and look forward to seeing how my next chapter turns out, it involves the Protectors of Concord Dawn! :D**

 **A/N: As you can probably guess, my version will be a bit different, so here is one of my most challenging contests yet, under normal circumstances I wouldn't have even considered making this the challenge, but you all have proven to be rather sharp ;). Are you ready to see if your powers of prediction are elite? Tell me what you think will happen regarding the encounter with Fenn Rau and if you are even close I will count it as a successful attempt, good luck.**

 **Disclaimer: Refer to my earlier chapters to see who owns what.**

* * *

On Takobo….

"End of the line, Lasat." Brutus chuckled; his saber pointed directly at Zeb as he slowly advanced towards him, "You managed to avoid my master, teammate, and myself on that medical station, but this time you won't be as lucky."

"First an ISB agent and now a Repphibian, you sure know how to make rivals Zeb." Jacob sarcastically remarked.

 **(A/N: Since the Fifth Brother's species is unknown I came up with my own name; as you have probably noticed, it is a combination of the words 'Reptile' and 'Amphibian', if you got a better one please tell me in the reviews :))**

"Now is not the time, Jacob." Zeb mumbled harshly as he slowly backed away from the Inquisitor's approaching red blade; activating his own weapon's Electrostaff mode in the act.

The Stormtroopers aimed down the sights of their blasters and deactivating the safeties; a chorus of clicking sounds were heard as they did so. But Brutus held up his scaly hand with all of his fingers uncurled, signaling the troops to stand down. The Stormtroopers left their battle stances and held their blasters with the nozzle downwards and to the side.

"I would have a test to see if the 'Lone Lasat' Agent Kallus often spoke of lives up to legend." Brutus told the rebels.

"You'll regret making that decision." Zeb said with a somewhat cocky smirk.

"Prove it." Brutus taunted; the mocking tone his voice carried only amplified Zeb's agitation.

Zeb let out a war cry before taking the initiative and charging at the Fifth Brother; the Repphibian himself did the same thing. The Stormtroopers and Jacob watched as the two brutes clashed with one another.

* * *

Cutaway to Kanan, Ezra, and Rosa….

It didn't take the two young cadets long to find their superior; none of them went into details as to how they dealt with the droid that attacked them, and finally reached their destination after receiving Zeb's urgent call about Brutus being present.

"You two need to escort the family to the Ghost and get ready for takeoff." Kanan ordered as he dismounted.

"What about you sir?" Rosa asked as she drew her pistols.

"I need to help Zeb take care of Brutus." Kanan replied.

"Are you sure you can handle him?" Ezra voiced his worry as he activated his saber.

"Let me answer that for you." A mechanically filtered feminine voice said.

The three rebels' attention was drawn to the top of the spaceport, there stood Sunev; well, technically she was crouching, with her Seeker Droid pets floating around her. The Mirialan jumped off the roof with a flip before using the force to cushion her descent, she landed on her feet with relative ease before drawing her red lightsaber.

"You can't." Sunev finished with a chuckle.

" _Do we ever get a break?"_ Kanan mentally sighed to himself.

Sunev shot red lightning from her fingertips, her target was Ezra but Kanan jumped in front of the boy and used his lightsaber to block the lightning; albeit with quite some difficulty.

"Go! Get to Zeb and Jacob, get the Namiils out of here!" Kanan exclaimed.

Ezra and Rosa didn't dare question his orders, merely giving their usual nod of acknowledgement before doing as the Jedi commanded.

"Foolish Jedi", Sunev smirked underneath her faceplate, "You are in over your head."

"You aren't the first to tell me that", Kanan stated as he took up a battle stance, "I'll make sure you aren't the last."

"Such boastful words from a pathetic rebel." Sunev chuckled; the last word of her sentence she seemed to spit out to emphasize her disgust.

"The same could be said of an Inquisitor." Kanan gave his counter quip.

Sunev merely scoffed at the quip and activated the second end of her double bladed saber.

* * *

With Ezra and Rosa…..

The run towards the position of the family and their fellow rebels was relatively short, the sound of grunting and clashing of weapons got louder with each step they took, and with each grunt they heard from Zeb, Ezra and Rosa's pace quickened.

"Keep your distance from the Repphibian, he's very dangerous." Ezra pleaded to Rosa; fearing for her safety.

"I can handle myself Ezra", Rosa replied; she was Sabine's sister alright, "I appreciate your concern for me, but I'm a Mandalorian, fighting is what I do."

Ezra allowed a small smile to creep onto his face, although it was hidden by his faceplate.

The two made a sharp turn only to be immediately greeted by the duel Zeb and Brutus were engaged in. Zeb threw a punch forward, only to have his arm caught by Brutus's free hand. The reptilian humanoid snapped Zeb's arm back, causing the Lasat to grunt in pain; he wouldn't let a shout of agony escape him.

Brutus smirked, revealing his sharp; surprisingly clean, teeth. He kicked the Lasat down and onto his back with his powerful leg; saber being brought up ready to finish the Rebel once and for all.

"So long, Zeb." Brutus raised his saber.

Rosa quickly drew her pistol and pulled the trigger. The blaster shot Brutus in the shoulder, causing the Repphibian to grunt in pain; buckling slightly as a result. Everyone's mouths were wide with shock as Rosa twirled her pistol in her hand.

"So…. You couldn't fight fair", Brutus chuckled as he looked back at the Rebels; a maniacal grin plastered across his face, "Neither can I."

Brutus swung his hand down, signaling his troops to open fire. Rosa ducked by the Namiil family and gestured for them to follow her while the males of the group covered their escape.

"What was that thing?!" Mr. Namiil demanded as his wife tried to calm their wailing baby down.

"That was an Inquisitor, he's called Brutus." Rosa replied without turning around, "A member of the Dark Side Triad."

"The Dark Side what?" Mr. Namiil asked quizzically.

"We'll discuss it later just get aboard that ship!" Rosa exclaimed, pointing at the Ghost.

The Nautolans didn't argue, nor did they have any desire to argue, they just wanted to get away from the assailants. Once they were safely aboard, Hera sent out a message to all of the Rebels.

" _This is Skyrazor to Ghost Team, targets secure, I repeat, the targets have been secured! Get to the Ghost ASAP!"_

The message was heard via helmetcom by the rebels, who let out a few sighs of relief that weren't heard by the Inquisitors or their compatriots.

"Time to fall back!" Zeb declared.

Jacob took out a cylindrical grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it. It detonated in midair, releasing a thick plume of smog. The Rebels' weren't affected by the gas thanks to their sealed helmets, but the Stormtroopers' helmets weren't designed to filter this type of gas because it was nontoxic in structure but very damaging to your sinuses. The Rebels made their getaway while the Imperials all wheezed from the gas, some fell to their knees due to lightheadedness, and Brutus was among them; however he managed to concentrate enough to use the force to clear away the smog.

A frustrated growl escaped the Inquisitor as he activated his wristcom.

"Master, they are attempting to flee."

* * *

Back with Kanan….

Kanan wasn't as fortunate as his allies were in their fight. Brutus was the muscle of the Triad, he wasn't much of a tactician, but Sunev on the other hand, was far more agile and smart when she fought. It was clear to Kanan that even before Starkiller took her under his tutelage, she was the dominant one over Brutus. Even though this was his first time fighting her, he could tell that Leonidas's description of her wasn't exaggerated.

Kanan was outmatched, his only hope was to hold his ground until the Namiil family were safely secured aboard the Ghost. When he received the call to fall back to the Ghost, he wanted nothing more than to comply, but the Mirialan was keeping him locked in combat, never giving an inch.

"This is Seraph to Gearbox, I need some help." Kanan used his helmetcom to contact Ezra.

" _Sunev?"_ Ezra guessed.

"How perceptive of you, now please hurry!" Kanan shouted into his comm.

* * *

Back at the Ghost….

Ezra had just received the call for backup from Kanan.

"I need to get to Seraph, Sunev has him pinned." Ezra reported to the rest of the crew present.

"If Kanan can't take her than what chance would you have?" Jacob once again showed his pragmatism that bordered on pessimism from time to time.

"She's strong but I doubt she is strong enough to take on two Jedis." Ezra said confidently, picking his helmet back up.

"Ezra, wait." Rosa walked up to him; she had removed her helmet.

Ezra looked Rosa in the eye, the Mandalorian proceeded to do something unexpected. Rosa leaned in and kissed Ezra on the cheek, everyone's eyes widened again.

"Make it back in one piece, okay." Rosa finished with her signature smirk and slug on the shoulder.

Once Ezra snapped out of the frozen, shock-induced state Rosa's kiss put him in, he returned the smirk with a small blush.

"With that kind of motivation how couldn't I?" Ezra asked jokingly before putting on his helmet.

Rosa let out a light laugh as Ezra sprinted to help his master.

" _May the force show mercy on Ezra once big sis Sabine gets word of this."_ Rosa thought to herself as she remembered that Sabine could be a bit on the protective side when it came to the ones she held close.

* * *

Back with Kanan….

"The wounded wolf calls his cub to save his skin." Sunev remarked; she had heard Kanan's call to Ezra.

Sunev kneed Kanan in the gut, causing him to buckle from the blow, allowing her to roundhouse kick his saber out of his hands.

"Pathetic." Sunev spat.

"Kanan!" Ezra shouted as he drew his saber.

Sunev didn't even blink as she shot red lightning at Ezra.

The young Jedi held up his saber and absorbed the electricity, however it pushed him back little by little.

Kanan called his recently disarmed saber back to him and released a large force push at Sunev. The female Inquisitor skidded back a few feet but she maintained her footing. With the lightning no longer bombarding him, Ezra and Kanan released a concentrated force blast at Sunev, knocking her off of her feet and into the wall.

"Ezra, what are you doing here?" Kanan scolded the boy.

"Saving your skin from a member of the Triad, that's what." Ezra countered.

"We'll discuss this later, right now we need to get back to the Ghost." Kanan relented.

"Leaving so soon?" Brutus's voice came from the spaceport's entrance.

Sunev had also recovered and was already approaching them with her weapon drawn.

Kanan and Ezra held their sabers up, back to back, Ezra facing Brutus, and Kanan facing Sunev.

The Inquisitors both advanced with smirks on their faces, before they halted upon hearing a sound. A condescending clap echoed through the area.

"Well done, Jedi Scum", Starkiller's voice said with a chuckle, "You managed to last long enough to earn my intervention."

"I'm flattered." Kanan sarcastically remarked.

Starkiller emerged from the Spaceport's roof, drawing two of his sabers as he did so; holding them in the Shien form V.

"I hope rescuing that family was worth it", Starkiller chortled, "Because it just cost you your lives."

"Any ideas, Kanan?" Ezra whispered to his master.

"I was hoping you did." Kanan whispered back; it didn't take a genius to know that this was an unwinnable fight.

Fortunately for the rebels, the luck they've had during this mission hadn't run out yet. A bright light coupled with the sound of turbulence entered the area, it was the Phantom! The Triad had to shield their eyes a bit from the bright spotlight. A rebel jumped out of the Phantom and landed safely on the ground, that rebel was none other than Ahsoka Tano herself.

As the Togruta approached the combatants; her hands unclipping her sabers from her belt, Sunev's faceplate opened up.

"Unexpected." Starkiller mused; his attention now on the Jedi.

"But not unwelcome." Sunev finished for her master.

Ahsoka gave a look to Kanan and Ezra that took only a fraction of a second to read: "Go NOW!"

The Jedi and apprentice didn't need to think twice before complying.

"Brutus, follow those two", Starkiller ordered, "Sunev, you're with me, time teach this rebel scum some manners."

"Yes master." The two Inquisitors spoke in unison.

"You two always fought with inexperienced Jedi", Ahsoka stated; she ignited both of her white lightsabers in tandem, "Let's see if you fair the same against one with some experience."

"With pleasure." Sunev chuckled; her faceplate covered her face again and her double bladed saber began to spin.

* * *

Ahsoka deflected the spinning saber, causing Sunev to get knocked back from the sudden counterforce to her strike, this also left her front exposed (A/N: if you know what a parry looks like in the force unleashed II then you'll know exactly what I mean)

Ahsoka kicked Sunev in the face; breaking her faceplate off in the process, knocking her back a few feet. Ahsoka sensed Starkiller behind her and quickly snapped around to block the red and black sabers just in time. Starkiller headbutt Ahsoka; his helmet added some extra punch to the attack. Ahsoka flinched from the strike, Starkiller seized advantage of the opportunity and force pushed her into a nearby building. Ahsoka regained her senses and used her legs to repel herself off of the wall and back onto her feat.

The Togruta wasn't given any time to breath, Sunev was already on the charge; intent for blood. Ahsoka grabbed some sand off of the ground and threw it in Sunev's eyes. The Sith grunted in agitation as the grime obscured her perception. The young woman instinctively tried to get the debris out of her oculi, but the deed left her exposed. Ahsoka didn't hold back as she put her knowledge of close combat to use, she kicked in Sunev's kneecap, bringing her to her knees, punched her across the face repeatedly, bringing her to the floor, and the coup de grace was a powerful blast of force energy sending the Mirialan across the field and into a state of unconsciousness.

Ahsoka inhaled deeply and exhaled softly; closing her eyes all the while, the fight a chunk out of her stamina, but that didn't mean she wasn't ready for round two.

"Not bad", Starkiller complimented with a large amount of forbearance in his voice; fighting back the anger in him that was slowly coming to a boil, "But 'not bad' doesn't cut it in war!"

"Stand down, Sith", Ahsoka said in a controlled but firm voice, "No one else needs to get hurt."

"Words are wind", Starkiller continued, "When you harm one of my soldier, one of my apprentices, you put the nail in the coffin for an armistice."

" _So much for settling this peacefully."_ Ahsoka mentally sighed; although she was aware that the odds of the Assassin complying were minute.

The Dark Apprentice charged the Togruta with almost superhuman speed, with both of his sabers drawn he spiraled through the air.

(A/N: Just imagine Palpatine's opening move when he fought Mace Windu and the other Jedi Council members)

Ahsoka bent ninety degrees back and let the angry warrior fly right over her and into the wall she ricocheted off of. In a surprise move, the Sith Assassin smashed through the wall instead of bouncing off thanks to some added force power.

Ahsoka stood on her guard as the dust settled from the collapse, keeping an ever watchful eye out for the sadistic Sith. A giant piece of detritus flew at her, but the Jedi's white sabers made short work of it. Another chunk of concrete followed the now fileted piece of debris, this time the female Jedi didn't react in time, and was knocked back a few meters before using her sabers to destroy the flying projectile. Ahsoka bent down a bit as she caught her breath, when her eyes lifted, the Dark Assassin was approaching her; his lightsabers were deactivate and he only cracked his knuckles to indicate that he was confident he didn't need a lightsaber to defeat the Rebel Leader.

Ahsoka was going to make sure she succeeded in proving him wrong, and deactivated her own weapons. Again, the young man charged at the Jedi, this time starting out with an uppercut that connected with the Shili's chin. The blow didn't have much of an effect on the orange skinned Jedi, who retaliated with a kick to Starkiller's knee. The Sith buckled from the impact and countered with powerful punch across the Jedi's face, leaving a nasty bruise. Starkiller grabbed the Togruta's shoulders and kneed her stomach repeatedly with increasing belligerence.

When Starkiller swung his fist at his foe's face, something he never expected occurred. Ahsoka caught his fist and twisted his wrist; a small snap of strain from the Sith's wrist bones was heard as he winced in pain. Ahsoka charged up all the force energy she could muster and unleashed it on the Dark Apprentice. The Sith was sent careening through the air and into the spaceport's wall, falling to the ground facedown after the impact. Ahsoka was on one knee as she recuperated from the amount of energy she spent on the attack. Much to the Jedi's chagrin, Starkiller got back up; snapping his wrist bone back into place and cracking his neck as if he were stretching out after a long period of sitting down. The assassin growled as he walked back towards the Jedi; a bit of strain was evident in his step, but his stride was cut short by a bright light akin to the one that blinded him earlier shined down upon the terrain. The Ghost had come to Ahsoka's aid!

" _This is Star Eagle to Savant One, we are have the package, get onboard so we can get out of here!"_ Hera's voice rang out of Ahsoka's wristcom as the Ghost's ramp was lowered, revealing a rather dented up Yitzhak.

Ahsoka used the force to jump onto the lowered ramp, she was helped aboard by Yitzhak as the ramp closed. The Ghost ascended out of the Sith's sight before rocketing into space.

Starkiller growled in frustration; Sunev limped towards him with a hand on her left ribcage; her helmet had fallen off, revealing her very short black hair that cut in a similar fashion as her master's hair.. Brutus was in a similar condition with nasty gashes on his body; courtesy of Yitzhak's blade.

"I'm sorry, Master", Sunev said as she knelt her head in apology, "We've failed you."

"It matters not", Starkiller's growl soon turned into a chuckle, "They have gained a minor victory, while we have gained a bigger one."

Starkiller activated his holocom, an image of Major Kingston.

"Major, has the acceleration been completed?" Starkiller asked the officer.

" _Yes Milord, the modified accelerant tank performed better than we had anticipated, the infant is now both physically and mentally at the age of 16 years old."_ Kingston reported.

The members of the Triad smirked triumphantly.

"Detain her, I'll be there shortly." Starkiller ordered.

" _Of course, Milord."_ Kingston bowed as the hologram faded away.

* * *

 **Annnnnd that's a wrap! Sorry for the wait, family matters have been consuming all my time =(, but don't worry, I'm still active and committed.**

 **Ezra and Rosa's first kiss XD I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

 **Glory to Mandalore**


	17. Mandalorian Incursion

The Rise of Starkiller

Mandalorian Incursion

 **Guten Tag mein freundes! I'd like to thank you all for your kindness and support. Today is the day where Fenn Rau and the Protectors of Concord Dawn come into the picture! :D I hope you are as jazzed as I am XD**

 **A/N: The plot will thicken, if you recall the little infant from a few chapters ago; well, let's just say she isn't so little anymore XD A new Darksider is coming, and I need a name for her XD, so when you review give me a suggestion and you'll receive a special prize :D A double promotion and their name featured in my story from this moment forth. There will only be one winner so best of luck to all of you.**

 **Disclaimer: We all know who owns what here, the only thing I own are my OCs.**

* * *

Aboard the _Savior_ …..

One month had passed since the Alliances' latest encounter with the Dark Side Triad and Ahsoka's victory over Darth Starkiller kindled another spark for the fire of rebellion ignite. The force sensitive child abductions had ceased abruptly since the Namiil family was successfully extracted from Takobo. The victory was short lived however, after a sudden imperial ambush that decimated another piece of the already sparse rebel fleet, a cloaked tracking device was found on the Phantom. It was beginning to seem that for every one victory they achieved, five defeats would be suffered. The need for an additional base became a priority red objective, and the Alliance couldn't use Dantooine for a base like the Ghost crew did; too much activity would have a high probability of drawing the Empire to them.

The scavenger hunt had escalated from finding fuel and food, to finding a safe planet to call home. Which has brought the rebels to the _Savior's_ bridge to find suitable territory after their previous venture possessed no results.

"I don't know how much longer the alliance can last without a suitable stronghold on the ground", Yitzhak briefed the crew present on the bridge, "We can't keep darting from system to system like this, we're burning through our fuel reserves faster than we can replenish it and we are lucky if we get out of a scrape with the Empire without losing a cruiser or a handful of fighters."

"The Empire has been one step ahead of us, they've been securing the planets most suitable for a base even if the planet doesn't have anything valuable to exploit." Hera added in.

"The people are afraid, it's no surprise that the Empire's little 'planet monopoly' is growing so quickly", Kanan gave his two cents, "And the planets that have residents that are willing to stand up to the Empire aren't hospitable to our side either."

"That isn't entirely true", Ketsu spoke up, "I know of a particular area that could benefit us in more ways than one."

All eyes were on the Mandalorian.

"The Concord Dawn system", Ketsu fiddled with the controls on the holoterminal to pull up a mapping of the mentioned system, "A very valuable location used by the Mandalorians in the old republic."

"You forget, the Mandalorian were aligned with the Empire during that time", Yitzhak rectified, "To them might made right and credits were more persuasive then any diplomat."

"What's to say that that allegiance is still in effect?" Hera asked.

"Trust me, Captain Syndulla", Yitzhak addressed the Twi'lek, "Those freelance Mandalorians take their vows and their alliances very seriously, especially if there is a profit to be made."

"There are other Mandalorians clans that lived by the Supercommando Codex created by Jaster Mareel", Sabine joined the debate, "They still trade blood for money like the other clans do, but they only act in ways that will preserve their honor."

"So basically any action taken in Concord Dawn would be a gamble?" Hera asked.

"Basically." Leonidas replied.

"We need to consider the pros and cons of this situation", Jarvis chimed in, "The Mandalorian; if any, are inhabiting the Concordian system, their course of action would be dictated depending on which code they follow."

"If they abide by the same 'Might makes Right' policy that Death Watch followed", Jarvis continued; Sabine tensed up at the mention of Death Watch, "Then they'll either be our worst enemies if we don't come bearing money, or they'll be our best friends so long as their pockets stay fat with credits; something we happen to be in short supply of."

"If they abide by the Supercommando Codex, they'll help us to protect the weak who are being terrorized by the Empire", Ketsu countered, "But they may still ask a price, but it won't be as unreasonable as any Death Watch Mando would demand."

"We'll put it to a vote, all in favor of sending a small team to Concord Dawn to see if there are indeed Mandalorians inhabiting the system?" Yitzhak asked.

Hera, Kanan; albeit with some reluctance, Leonidas, Ketsu, Maximus, Zeb, and Yitzhak himself.

"And all opposed?"

The Wren sisters raised their hands, Jarvis, Ezra, and of course Chopper.

"Seven to five, we're going to the Concordian system, I want the Mandalorians on this bridge to be counted among them." Yitzhak gave his decree.

"Why the Mandalorians?" Kanan asked.

"Mandalorians are infamous for treating others of their kind like family and outsiders like disease ridden animals", Yitzhak elaborated, "Regardless of the code they follow."

"Then Sabine, Leonidas, and Maximus will accompany me", Hera decided, "I'll also need at least one small transport vessel and some pilots for support."

"That's no small request, Syndulla", Yitzhak said with a firm and serious voice; when he addressed someone by their last name it meant he was serious, "Our number of spacecraft is meager."

"It's a risk you'll have to take if we want to secure an alliance." Hera declared boldly.

Yitzhak sighed in defeat, "Very well, just be careful."

"We will, Commander Yitzhak." Hera reassured the fleet commander.

* * *

Five minutes later, inside the Ghost…..

The crew members who were attending the scouting mission had a half hour to prepare and meet up at the Ghost. It took the Mandalorians ten minutes to complete the task, allowing them some time to relax a bit. Leonidas decided to consult Sabine about the tense behavior she exhibited once the fallen Mandalorian clan was mentioned.

"You seemed a bit tense back there." Leonidas confronted his girlfriend.

"Everything that's been happening has gotten to me, I guess this mission is icing on the cake." Sabine lied; something she didn't like to do with her compatriots, much less her lover.

"You and I both know that's not true", Leonidas called Sabine out on her bluff, "I've seen you on the battlefield countless times, nothing gets to you, especially something as benign as a survey mission. Tell me, what's really eating at you Sabine?"

Sabine sighed; Leonidas saw right through her charade.

"You can tell me, Sabine", Leonidas said with a smile, "I'll keep it between us if you wish it so."

Sabine's first instinct was to deny Leonidas's request, but her second instinct told her to confide in someone she trusted. The second instinct won the mental conflict, and with much hesitation; Sabine decided to spill the beans.

"It's with regards to Death Watch." Sabine confessed.

"There's no shame in that", Leonidas remarked; any Mandalorian worth his salt knew that Death Watch members should be killed if confronted and avoided if not, "Death Watch is rather infamous for their Might makes Right policy and their skill to back it up."

"It's not quite that simple", Sabine replied, "My clan was a member of House Vizsla, my mother's side of the family."

"You were in league with those murderers?" Leonidas asked incredulously; his control over his temper hung by a thread.

"That is one of the reasons I left the academy", Sabine explained, "I didn't want to be forced into becoming a monster like Pre Vizsla."

Leonidas's temper lowered a bit, thankfully.

"How many others know of this?" Leonidas whispered in a firm tone.

"Just you and Rosa", Sabine whispered back in the same tone.

"Good, let's keep it that way, the last thing we need are people viewing you as a terrorist instead of a freedom fighter." Leonidas told the female Mandalorian.

"My thoughts exactly", Sabine nodded in agreement, "When the time comes, I'll tell only those who wish to know."

"Listen Sabine", Leonidas's tone notably softened, "I appreciate your honesty, and I have confidence that the others will as well, Yitzhak included, but given our current situation we can't afford to risk any repercussions."

Sabine smiled softly, but as she opened her mouth to speak Maximus came in.

"Hey you two, just dropping by to see if you got everything needed for this recon mission." Maximus cut in; destroying Sabine's chance of saying what she wanted to say to Leonidas.

The Mandalorian wordlessly showed their pistols, cartridges, ration bars, holocoms, and melee weapons.

"Excellent, get to your ships, we'll be departing soon." Maximus stated before leaving to get to his own ship.

Once Maximus was out of earshot, Leonidas tried to get the conversation started again.

"You looked like you were going to say something." Leonidas said to Sabine.

"Can you promise me that you'll have my back if things go sour?" Sabine asked; it was an unusual request from the female Mando.

"Of course, I wouldn't be a very good boyfriend if I didn't now would I?" Leonidas chuckled.

Sabine merely chuckled with a roll of her eyes.

When the time came to get to a fighter, Sabine gave Leonidas a peck on the cheek before putting on her helmet.

* * *

A few hours later….

" _I can't shake these fighte-aaah!"_ an A-wing pilot shouted in panic before his com became static.

" _Phoenix Twelve is KIA, I say again, Phoenix Twelve is KIA!"_ Maximus' voice rang through the com channel.

" _This is Rebel Cruiser Tenacious, we are taking heavy fire from those Fang Fighters!"_

Things had taken a turn for the worse almost immediately. The Protectors of Concord Dawn were still active, and on the Empire's payroll. Their leader, Fenn Rau, didn't leave anything open to discussion, he said he didn't want to be on the losing side of the war.

Much like Starkiller's TIE Hunter squadron, Fenn Rau's Skull Squadron was equally as deadly, they were tearing apart the Rebel recon team one by one, and the _Tenacious_ couldn't hold on much longer. Sabine piloted her A-Wing well and seemed a lot more determined to shoot down the enemy than her fellow compatriots, particularly Fenn Rau.

The fighters that weren't destroyed were greatly damaged, this included Hera Syndulla.

" _This is Skyrazor to Phoenix, fall back, I repeat, fall back!"_ Hera ordered through every remaining pilot's comlinks.

" _Affirmative!"_

All of the pilots and the cruiser set their coordinates to regroup with the fleet, but Leonidas was hit by a Fang Fighter, causing his A-Wing to shake from the impact.

" _This is Nightwolf to Phoenix, I got a tango on my tail, I can't shake 'em!"_ Leonidas said in a controlled but urgent voice.

Sabine was the first to take action. She sharply used her afterburners to rocket behind the fighter that was attacking Leonidas and gunned it down without even blinking; she could care less if they were fellow Mandalorians; they were no kin to her if they valued credits over honor.

" _Thanks for the assist Twister, I owe you one."_ Leonidas said gratefully.

As the hyperdrives in all of the spacecraft primed for activation, Fenn Rau attacked Hera's A-Wing. The laser bolts impacted near the ship's cockpit, this caused some of the circuitry to go on the fritz, leading to a miniature combustion from the panels. The force of these mini-bursts injured Hera and was enough to put her into a state of unconsciousness just before her ship jumped into hyperspace.

* * *

Back with the Rebel Fleet, aboard the _Savior_ …

"Commander Yitzhak, we got multiple friendlies coming out of hyperspace." Ketsu reported to the fleet commander.

"What is there condition?" Yitzhak asked in an even voice.

"Pulling up visual feed now." Ketsu stated as she used the holoterminal's controls to pull up a visual of the survivors.

"Oh no…." Ketsu said softly.

The returning forces seemed to be on the verge of falling apart. The _Reapers' Claw_ suffered the least damage while the _Tenacious_ suffered the greatest amount. Many of the pilots that left were not among the returning rebels. Leonidas's A-Wing was beaten and beleaguered, but his damages were nothing compared to Hera's.

The Twi'lek was unconscious with tons of cuts and bruises covering her body and some blood was trickling down the side of her face.

"Get a medic ready and focus the tractor beam on Captain Syndulla!" Yitzhak barked.

Ketsu nodded in acknowledgement.

* * *

Hera was safely pulled into the _Savior's_ hangar, much to the rebels'; particularly Kanan's, relief. Once the Mandalorians who accompanied the Captain vacated their respective ships, they rushed to the med bay. Sabine had the greatest will to see Hera's current condition, she felt responsible for Hera being gunned down.

Hera's head was wrapped in bandages, her left eye was left with a slight 'shiner', and multiple wounds were being treated by Cortez and the ship's medical droid. Kanan was pacing back and forth, his brow furrowed, deep in thoughts; critical ones by the look on his face.

"What happened?!" Kanan demanded; on the verge of losing his temper.

"The Protectors of Concord Dawn seem to be all 'buddy-buddy' with the Empire", Maximus's voice dripped with extra venom when he spoke of the Mandalorian group, "They're on the Empire's payroll."

"They attacked us almost immediately, they were led by a man named Fenn Rau." Leonidas added.

The room fell silent, until Captain Rex entered.

"Fenn Rau, I recognize that name", Rex stated, "He was a training instructor for the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars."

"I fought alongside him during the Third Battle of Mygeeto." Kanan added, "Do you have any ideas as to the whereabouts of their base?"

"In fact I do", Sabine said, "I tracked them to the third moon of Concord Dawn."

"We should bring this to Commander Yitzhak." Leonidas suggested.

* * *

Aboard the _Savior's_ bridge….

"So, these mercenaries are led by Fenn Rau?" Yitzhak asked to make sure he heard everything correctly.

"Yes sir." Sabine gave a nod.

"I've heard of him, never met the man though." Yitzhak stated before getting back on topic, "So what are suggesting we do?"

"We have tracked the location of their base, we could commence a stealth incursion to eliminate their ships, which would make them harmless to the fleet." Sabine suggested.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one." Yitzhak said calmly.

"Why?! They gunned down all but three of our squadron, and nearly destroyed the _Tenacious_." Maximus asked incredulously; Ketsu herself was resisting the urge to do the same.

"I want to speak to this man, face to face. these Protectors of Concord Dawn seem to live by the Supercommando Codex, albeit by a very short thread", Yitzhak explained, "I don't think Fenn knows what happened to the other Mandalorian clans that have brushed shoulders with the Empire, two people on this bridge are living examples."

All eyes were on Leonidas and Maximus.

"Those tattoos on their necks are standard among Akaan and Oberus, they mark their warriors with the Mandalorian symbol, Akaan with black, and Oberus with green." Yitzhak continued, "Every Clan has a signature trait that sets them apart from all others; be it a symbol on a helmet, or a special suit of armor."

"We need to remind them of what money can't buy, and I can already tell that it's going to be the hard way." Ketsu chimed in.

"That's why I need to have only Mandalorians accompanying me on this mission." Yitzhak stated.

"I'll go." Leonidas and Maximus said in unison.

"Count me in." Ketsu declared.

"If things take a turn for the worse, I'll help make sure they regret attacking us." Sabine volunteered.

"Excellent, you four will accompany me to the Third Concord Moon", Yitzhak ordered, "Make sure that all of your weapons are topped off and bring what you can in case things do get ugly."

The Mandalorians saluted and made for their respective quarters to collect their gear.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think it's wise to send you out onto the field", Kanan gave voice to his concerns, "We can't afford to lose another Fleet Commander."

"You were the one who preached about 'having faith'." Yitzhak chuckled, "And I have faith that we will succeed, one way or another."

The hardened veteran left without another word.

* * *

Aboard the _Reapers' Claw_ ….

Maximus spared no time with getting his ship into hyperspace and making use of its cloaking device.

Leonidas and Sabine managed to isolate themselves from the remainder of their crew, but it wasn't to do what most normal teenage couples do; instead it was to make sure that Sabine wouldn't do anything reckless.

"It looks like we're going for the diplomatic approach." Leonidas started the conversation, "How do you feel about the course of action we are taking?"

"Honestly, Leo", Sabine addressed her boyfriend by his nickname, "I'm not all that thrilled about gambling our lives with a group of Mandalorians that just gunned down many of our allies."

The Mando's feelings were warranted and very reasonable given the circumstances; Leonidas himself had similar feelings biting at him, but he kept them suppressed so he could trust his mentor's judgement.

"I'm not all that thrilled about it either", Leonidas admitted; giving full disclosure, "Which is why we are armed to the teeth in case diplomacy fails."

"More like _when_ diplomacy fails." Sabine thought to herself.

"If we _succeed_ with recruiting them, I don't know whether or not to speak of my families' affiliation with House Vizsla." Sabine said out loud; revisiting the topic they discussed earlier.

"I think it may be best if these Protectors don't learn of your House." Leonidas gave his view on the matter, "But the choice is up to you."

The Mandalorians came out of their isolated location and took seat. Few words were exchanged the gist of their focus was on either loading a weapon, or on sharpening a knife.

* * *

An unknown amount of time later….

The _Reapers' Claw_ exited hyperspace and had a visual on the moon; it was barren and unwelcoming, the perfect spot for a base. The ship's cloaking device worked to perfection, allowing them to successfully land unmolested. Maximus's ship landed a good distance away from the Protectors' camp; they would trek the remainder of the distance.

Once they got close enough to get a better view, Yitzhak made use of his Macrobinoculars and scanned the Mandalorian camp. There were a few bonfires around the camp, mostly near the tents to keep the residents warm, in the center of the camp there was a tent that was significantly bigger than all the others. It was easy to deduce that the biggest tent belonged to Rau.

An Imperial shuttle was sitting in an open space, an imperial officer and four escort Stormtroopers walked towards the big tent; a big case was being carried by the officer, no doubt filled with credits. The possibility of the case's contents being credits got higher when the Imperials left with it absent.

"Looks like your hunch was right, Maximus." Ketsu murmured.

"These guys are on the Empire's payroll." Yitzhak said with a small sigh, "Nevertheless, we need to talk to Fenn Rau, follow me and avoid detection if you can."

The Commander's compatriots merely nodded, drew a pistol, and spread out to better maintain stealth. Sabine and Leonidas made sure to remain within visual range of each other, they weren't about to leave each other without backup. A Protector walked through the area that the Mandalorian duo occupied, a blaster pistol kept clipped to his belt. Sabine duck and rolled underneath a nearby Fang Fighter while Leonidas hid behind some fuel canisters. Unfortunately, some loose debris made a sound when Sabine's foot was on top of it.

*snap*

The Protector's head instantly snapped to towards the origin of the sound and quickly drew his blaster. Leonidas acted quickly and snuck up behind the enemy and wrapped his arm around his neck, applying enough pressure to cut off his oxygen flow, but not crush his esophagus; an intentional countermeasure on the Mando's part, Fenn Rau wouldn't ally himself with rebels who killed his men.

The Protector flailed about, trying to pry Leonidas's arm away from his throat, but his current situation prevented him from doing so and his lack of air made him weaker with every passing second. Soon the Protector passed out from the lack of air; Leonidas then rolled his unconscious form underneath the Fang Fighter.

"That was close." Leonidas said, he then took a soft but deep breath of air; the need for oxygen had slipped his mind when he attacked the protector.

"Yeah, it was", Sabine agreed, "Thanks for that."

"My pleasure." Leonidas said after he regained all the breath he needed.

"We need to move, before they discover the body." Sabine said; a healthy level of urgency was in her tone.

* * *

It didn't take the team long to regroup within close proximity to Rau's tent. Yitzhak had a Protector in with him; he was gagged and cuffed, but he didn't try anything with a pistol pressed up against his scalp.

"This little pilot will be making sure we get a peaceful conversation with Rau, isn't that right?" Yitzhak asked menacingly as clicked the safety off of his pistol.

This Protector seemed to be much younger and inexperienced than the others, which was probably why he was sweating and nodding profusely; it was most likely why Yitzhak captured him in the first place.

"What's to say Rau won't use aggression as a first choice of response to our *clears throat* proposal." Maximus asked a bit uneasily.

"This boy may be a pitiful excuse for a Mandalorian, but if Rau is anything like the man he was during the Clone Wars, he'll see any soldier as family." Ketsu answered for Yitzhak; already knowing the gist of what the older man would say.

"That is correct, now, let's introduce ourselves to Fenn, shall we?" Sabine suggested.

* * *

Rau was drinking Cassius Tea and counting his latest pay from the Empire, when suddenly the flaps to his tent flew open and one of his men was shoved to the ground; bound and gagged. As Rau reached for his pistol, Yitzhak's voice rang through the air.

"There is no need for that, Rau", Yitzhak explained as he entered the tent; his fellow Mandalorian followed in with their weapons sheathed and holstered, "We just want to talk, the boy is merely insurance."

Fenn looked at each of his camp's infiltrators and saw that they all wore Mandalorian armor. This made him only slightly more open to hearing them out.

" _Sha'kajir_." Rau ordered his guards; who complied without question.

Yitzhak walked up to Fenn Rau's table and took a seat.

" _Olarom_ Fenn Rau _ner_ _gai_ is Yitzhak of _aliit_ Diluvium", Yitzhak greeted in Mandalorian dialect, "It is an _ijaat urciring entye."_

" _Entye ti yaim'la,_ Diluvium?" Fenn asked.

" _Elek."_ Yitzhak replied.

"At least the _jare_ taking _di'kut_ has the decency to address a Mandalorian with Mando'a _joha_." Fenn chuckled to himself as Yitzhak removed his helmet and placed it on the table.

The two veterans seemed to be about the same age, both had greying hair around their temples, and both had faces that showed wounds and marks that were created from years of war, hardships, and death.

"You say your _aliit gai_ is Diluvium?" Rau questioned; Yitzhak again nodded in response, "And here I _gehatyced_ all of your _aliit_ was _kyrayc_."

" _Jahaatirs_ told by my _aru'e_ " Yitzhak said with a firm voice; the death of his wife and his clan was something he didn't like to discuss, "I've come to propose a _koor_."

"I'm _sushiring_."

* * *

 **Annnnnd that's a wrap! Read and review people! But most importantly, Enjoy!**

 **A/N: My muse hit me with a stream of inspiration, which is very good for you since this chapter has come way ahead of schedule!**

 **I hope to have some participants in this chapter's contest :D.**

 **The next update will come when I have around 165 reviews :)**

 _ **Mando to Basic dictionary**_

Sushiring: Listening

Aliit: Clan

Gai: Name

Elek: Yes

Jahaatir: Lie

Gehatyce: thought, believed

Sha'kajir: Stand down

Ijaat: Honor

Olarom: Welcome (or a form of greeting alternatively)

Aru'e: Enemy

Yaim'la: Speaker of your language

Jare: Foolish Risk

Di'kut: Idiot

Urcir: Meeting

Kyrayc: Kill

Entye: You (less commonly a term for: Debt)

 **Kote der Mandalore!**


	18. Mandalorian Incursion II

The Rise of Starkiller

Mandalorian Incursion II

 **Hello everyone! Not much to say today except that I hope you enjoy the chapter and take the time to review. XD**

 **To Croc117: It's been awhile since you reviewed XD That's some good advice, definitely food for thought, you yourself have improved in terms of constructive critique, thanks, I'll need to make some plans in order to work on character development one at a time, but nothing I can't handle ;)**

 **A/N: All of my contestants had great ideas for a name for the latest Darksider, but in the end it I had to choose one; and believe me it was tough to choose, the winner is a recently returned friend of mine Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, he entered his critique and I appreciate your advice I'll be sure to put it into practice, his name for the girl is Sith for Bladeborn: Jenkari'uul**

 **A/N: I'd like to apologize in advance for the short chapter, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same.**

 **A/N: Does anyone else here find the way that Sith flirt creepy?**

 **I'd like to thank Mandalore the freedom for the excerpt from Fenn Rau as to why he hates the Death Watch.**

 **Disclaimer: Refer to earlier chapters to see who owns what.**

* * *

Aboard the _Bane of the Phantasms…._

A teenaged girl with shoulder length brown hair and orange eyes was kicked by a Stalker Company soldier across the training room and into the wall. The girl's vibrosword slipped from her grasp as she fell to the floor.

"Pathetic, again!" Starkiller barked.

The girl didn't dare question her master's orders and got back up, fresh blood dripped from her side and leaking out of her black training uniform. She dashed forward and swung at the trooper with her Vibrosword, but the soldier easily blocked it punched her across the face. The girl's temper reached its boiling point as she let out small blast of the force, knocking the trainer back a few feet; although it failed to knock him off his feet.

Starkiller's mouth slowly curled into a smirk.

"That's enough!" Starkiller exclaimed, "You are dismissed sergeant."

"Yes my lord." The trooper bowed before leaving.

"Why did you call him off, I had him?!" the girl known as Jenkari'uul; or Jenkari for short, demanded.

Starkiller struck her across the face; his clawed hand created new scars on Jenkari's face.

"Speak out of turn again and you'll find that a broken arm would be a mercy." Starkiller growled; fresh blood now dripped from his talons.

The young girl had instinctively put her hand over her face in an effort to staunch the blood flow, she now looked up at her master and down on one knee, placing a now blood soaked

"Forgive me, master." Jenkari kneeled before the Assassin, "I forget my place."

The infant had changed in both body and in spirit. The infant's innocent blue eyes were replaced by angry orange irises, showing her link to the dark side. Her once unmarked face was now covered with bruises and scars given to her either as punishment, or from training.

At first, Jenkari'uul was completely hostile towards the Dark Apprentice and his subordinates, not forgetting what they did to her mother. But Starkiller changed the once innocent teenager in more ways than one. First he broke her spirit and exposed her to great amount of pain, exposing her mind to pure agony strengthening her anger. Then he used his Sith Holocron to change the girl's thoughts permanently to the ways of the Sith. He proceeded to humble her when unwarranted arrogance and pride began to fester in Jenkari, making it known that the bond that they shared was akin to that of a Master and a Slave, she had yet to earn the bond of a Teacher and Student.

Sunev had taken a personal interest in training the young Sith, Starkiller had yet to determine if it was because they shared gender, or if Sunev wished to show her the art of seduction that female Sith often practiced on males they encountered during missions; it would either captivate the male or unnerve them greatly, either one worked to the Sith's benefit.

While Jenkari was still a bit too young to practice it on the field as Sunev did, it still never hurt learn how to use her female charms when the situation called for it.

"You must learn your place, and that position is below me as a faithful apprentice whom I hope one day I can trust to carry out my bidding."

"Yes master Starkiller." Jenkari acknowledged.

"Rest, you'll continue your training in the morning." Starkiller ordered.

"Yes master." The girl complied and left for her quarters.

The Dark Apprentice left shortly after, and found Sunev waiting for him in the hall. Her helmet was removed, so Starkiller could see her very short black hair.

"Sunev, what is it that you want?" Starkiller cut to the chase.

"A few minutes of your time, Lord Starkiller." Sunev replied.

"You have them, I suggest you make use of them." Starkiller stated.

"So serious." Sunev playfully stroked the side of his jawline; she was a daring young woman, Starkiller had to give her that, "I must say, the girl is inheriting that attitude, it fits her like a glove."

"Just what is it that you are getting at? Why the interest in Jenkari?" Starkiller grabbed the Mirialan's hand in his own to get stop her from touching his face; even though a part of him enjoyed it.

"The female Sith need to stick together", Sunev chuckled, "Our ways can't be taught by one of your sergeants, Lord Starkiller."

"Are you saying that you wish to train her yourself?" Starkiller asked.

"Not necessarily, the girl is your apprentice after all", Sunev admitted, "It has come to my attention that more and more situations have called for your attention, and in order to get Jenkari battle ready she needs to be trained regularly, so I have a proposition."

"You have my attention." Starkiller told the Inquisitor.

* * *

Back on Concord Dawn...

"You fight for a side that cares little for _ijaat_ ", Yitzhak told Fenn, "The rebels may be short of _waadas_ but we honor the _dadita_."

"And you believe that's enough to bring you _parjai?"_ Fenn Rau laughed, "A bold claim from a group of guerrillas that call themselves _mavdom_ _akaanirers_."

Sabine felt her blood boil and one of her hands independently curled into a fist. Rau's allegiance the Empire was one thing, but he was digging his own grave after he nearly killed Hera, and the quips were only digging deeper.

Leonidas spared a worried glance at the normally optimistic Mandalorian.

"All your _tom_ has done is disrupt the _naak_ the Empire has maintained for over a decade." Fenn continued, "As far as I'm concerned you're no _jate'shya_ then those terrorists from House Vizsla."

"We and any other Mandalorian would understand your rancor about House Vizsla, _vod_ _verd_ ", Yitzhak defended the Alliance, "But I assure you, we are nothing like them, we don't fight for _tal,_ we fight for the _mav_."

"What you fight for is relative." Fenn Rau refused to budge, "And I recognize the armor of a Wren anywhere, so why don't you tell me your name, girl."

All eyes were on Sabine.

"I am Sabine Wren of Clan Wren." Sabine said without hesitation or regret.

"Clan Wren, the clan that allied itself with House Vizsla." Fenn Rau spat the word Vizsla.

"Yes, my mother was a member of House Vizsla." Sabine clarified, with her hand on her pistol's handle; ready to draw at a moment's notice

"We are all aware of Death Watch's methods, but that doesn't justify insulting Sabine's family for the sins of their fathers!" Leonidas defended his girlfriend; although he knew that she could handle herself very well.

"I was at the skirmish of Carlac during Clone Wars, I saw what Death Watch did on that planet. They were butchering civilians, killing them or worse left and right, they didn't show mercy to anyone. They were _demagolka_ , _dar'manda_ all of them. You saying your mother was part of their group? Give me good reason why I should believe that your little girlfriend wasn't raised in the ways of those _di'kut_ Death Watch."

"I am a part of a cause worth fighting for, one that doesn't trade blood for money." Sabine's eyes seemed to lock onto the credit lockbox for emphasis.

"We are merely supporting the winning team, _or'dinii."_ Rau seemed to take very little offense to Sabine's statement; in fact he seemed amused.

"And what if we were the winning team, Fenn?" Sabine asked; she had officially taken control of the conversation.

Rau remained silent that time, he could figure out how to answer without contradicting everything he just said.

"So tell us, Rau", Sabine told the veteran, "Do you oppose the Rebel Alliance because you assume we are like Deathwatch, or because the Empire keeps your pockets fed with credits?"

Fenn Rau looked around the tent to see that all eyes were on him, including his own men.

The old Mandalorian chuckled and took what appeared to be a sword hilt off of his belt and pressed a button on said handle. A blade of metal extended out of it and sparks began to dance around the blade's body. The sudden action caused the rebels to draw their blasters, which in turn provoked the drawing of weapons from the Protectors.

"So far I've been addressed by two sides, your alliance and the Empire", Rau explained, "Both claim to be fighting on the side of the angels, the Empire pays my men and I handsomely to disregard supporting your side, no questions asked. You say that the Empire is no better, if not even worse than Death Watch."

"What are you getting at Rau?" Yitzhak asked.

"Actions speak louder than words, Diluvium." Rau replied, "Wren obviously possesses a strong conviction that her side is the side any honorable Mandalorian would choose, which is why she should prove her boast and face me in a duel, if she wins, then my men are yours, but if I win, I kill you all right on the spot and return your heads to Lord Starkiller."

"I accept your challenge, Fenn", Sabine accepted the veteran's challenge.

As before she could even take a step forward, she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She spun around and saw that the owner of the grip was Leonidas. The Warlord spoke no words and merely held out his free hand, in its palm rested the handle of his Darksaber.

Sabine nodded with a toothless smile and took the Darksaber out of his hands; it was a lot lighter then she expected. She turned on the weapon and the dark blade came out with its signature sharp whistle. Sabine swiped a few times at the air to get a feeling for it and found it was very easy to handle.

Everyone in the tent moved back until they were hugging the 'walls'.

Rau smirked as he mimicked what Sabine did with his own weapon.

"Then we fight!"

* * *

 **Annnd we're done with the chapter. I'm sorry for the length of the chapter but my work has been stacking up, but as I've stated numerous times before: I won't let it stop me XD**

 **I appreciate your reviews, they are very helpful for my confidence. :)**

Glory to Mandalore!


	19. Mandalorian Incursion III

The Rise of Starkiller

Mandalorian Incursion III

 **Hello my good readers! :D Darksawr here with another chapter for the Mandalorian Incursion mini-arc. Not much to say today other then I hope you enjoy the chapter and leave a review XD**

 **A/N: In the reviews a few people commented on how Starkiller's treatment of Jenkari was harsh. That's the idea XD, Darth Revan broke Dark Malak's jaw off when he disobeyed him. The Sith don't tolerate disloyalty.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars rebels, I do own my OCs.**

* * *

On the moon of Concord Dawn….

All of the Protectors cleared out an area for the duel to commence. The phalanx of Mandalorians remained silent; anticipation having gotten the better of them.

The air seemed thick enough to be cut with a knife as the two Mandalorians walked around the 'rim' of the formed circle; their eyes were hidden by their helmets, but one could tell that they were eyeing each other with increasing caution. Both combatants had valuable traits that help on the battlefield: Sabine was a young Mandalorian that has seen more combat then an average girl her age would, she also was extremely athletic and flexible which would make her a nightmare for anyone to fight. Fenn Rau on the other hand possessed years of combat experience, strategy, and a strong military acumen. His age did little to dull his fighting spirit, no Mandalorian would ever lose that no matter how old they got.

While Leonidas knew that Sabine was fully capable of handling herself, the others had their doubts planted on the revelation that Sabine was part of Death Watch.

Sabine struck first. She dashed forward with the saber held out to the side of her nimble form. Rau bent back surprisingly far for his age and the saber flew harmlessly over him. Sabine spun around and swung at Rau.

The old Mandalorian swung his vibrosword upwards, deflecting the oncoming weapon away from him. Fenn swung at Sabine's chest, but the female Mandalorian quickly moved to the side. Rau copied Sabine's previous action, he spun around and swung at Sabine's side. The action surprised Sabine, she barely blocked it in time; the force of the attack knocked her down on her back. Rau swung down and Sabine held off the Cortosis blade with the Darksaber.

Sabine acted quickly by kicking the veteran's legs out from underneath him and rolling away from her foe so she could regain her footing.

"Not bad for a spawn of Death Watch's cretins." Fenn stated; if it weren't for the venom in his words and voice his compliment would have almost seemed sincere.

Sabine refused to let the old Mandalorian get underneath her skin.

"Now that I've had a good warm up it's time to get serious." Sabine confidently shot back.

This time it was Fenn Rau that attacked first. The Mandalorian charged forward with his sword in hand, keen on blood. Sabine merely ducked and kicked Fenn's kneecap, this activated the man's natural reflex and his knee buckled. Sabine deactivated the Darksaber and clipped it to her belt quickly; she'd need both hands for what she was about to do.

Sabine seized the arm Fenn was using to hold his Vibrosword and brought her elbow down on his elbow's joint. Despite the armor, Sabine's blow got her the desired results. The force was surprising to Rau as he felt the sting of the attack on a pressure point surge throughout his body, causing his hand to drop his weapon.

"Gahhh!" Fenn seethed with both anger and pain; he curled his untouched hand into a fist and struck Sabine hard across the face.

The punch actually knocked the helmet off the colorful Mandalorian's head rolling into the phalanx; luckily Ketsu retrieved it before any of the Protectors could.

Rau used his one good hand to draw his pistol. The click that came from him removing the gun's safety is what sent Sabine's adrenaline into motion. Before anyone could even blink, she drew the Darksaber again and deflected each shot that came from the Protector's gun.

A few Protectors had to duck and dodge stray and deflected bolts. Sabine narrowed her eyes and adjusted the angle in which she deflected the next plasma round. The trajectory of the deflected projectile sent it crashing into Rau's pistol hand. The armor gauntlets he was wearing saved his hand from damaged, but the burn and force of the shot were a different matter entirely. Fenn dropped his pistol and grabbed at his hand instinctively in a vain attempt to numb the pain.

Sabine took the opportunity and ran at the old Mandalorian, tackling and pinning him to the ground. Fenn Rau was stubborn and made every effort to free himself.

Sabine punched him hard across the face, knocking of his helmet like he did with hers. Once the man's face was exposed Sabine delivered a series of blows across his face, leaving some nasty bruises.

Rau gathered some sand in his hand and tossed it into Sabine's eyes, allowing him to throw her off and pin her down. Fenn returned the favor and began to strike the girl repeatedly.

" _Hibirar_ *punch* to *punch* respect your *punch* _jate'shyas_!" Rau was beginning to get lost in the heat of the battle.

Sabine didn't speak a word to answer, instead she let her actions do the talking for her. Her slim figure made it easy to free her legs from the pin and throw them over Rau's shoulder and around his neck to reverse the positions yet again, but this time Sabine made use of her other leg to trap Rau in a scissor lock. Rau's eyes were wide open, a little bit of fear could be seen reflecting off of his irises; Sabine could snap his neck right now if she wanted to.

All was quite as Sabine regained her breath and kept Rau pinned.

"No", Sabine finally spoke, "It is you who needs to learn to what cause is worth fighting for."

"Surrender Rau, you have lost." Leonidas stepped forward.

Rau held up two fingers that signified a plea for mercy, a tradition rarely exercised by Mandalorians outside of practice.

"He has submitted." Leonidas announced for all to hear.

The Protectors' reactions varied, some were too shocked to speak, and some were seething with anger either for Sabine or for their fallen leader. But then again, the fact that their 'fearless leader' made a bet with their allegiance as his wager may also contribute to the rage.

Sabine reluctantly released her defeated adversary and spit on the ground in front of his face.

" _Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la"_ Sabine addressed the phalanx of Mandalorians.

" _Luubid,_ Sabine", Yitzhak stepped in, "I'll take it from here."

Sabine looked at the fleet commander with some anger visible in her eyes.

"You made a bet Fenn", Yitzhak addressed the Elder Mandalorian, "And you lost, your men are now bound to serve the Rebel Alliance alongside my compatriots and I."

Fenn Rau was a lot calmer then he was earlier as he got back up and dusted himself off.

"The girl fights well for a descendant of Death Watch." Rau admitted; keeping his gaze away from the girl with the dyed hair, "I don't know whether or not I should salute you or spit in your face, Death Watch Loyalist."

Ketsu's eyes widened, but the other three Mandos were unfazed.

"Former Loyalist", Yitzhak corrected Fenn Rau, "I was a member of their cause after my village was burned by the Separatists, but me and every single Mandalorian that fought by Bo Katan's side severed our ties to House Vizsla after Darth Maul and his 'Brother' beheaded Pre Vizsla."

"And yet your subordinate not only openly declared her mother's allegiance to House Vizsla, but also looked ready to snap my neck had you not said otherwise." Rau scoffed.

"Sabine did that to show that she isn't afraid of who she is", Yitzhak replied calmly, "The ties of her family don't define her or anyone in our cause for that matter, she is just as, if not more, honorable then you are. You have a choice now Rau, you can either leave your honor in the mud as it has been since you sold yourself to the Empire, or you can join your men in serving the Rebel Alliance, _ni copaani buyc'ika cin papuur'gal_."

"I'll take what I can get from this miserable night." Rau gave his decision.

"I don't know how I feel about working with former Vizsla Loyalists, but I am a man of _Haat, ijaa, haa'it_ my men are yours to _ke'gyce_." Fenn Rau continued, "But know that it is only to _ijaat_ our _koor_ and perhaps _taylir gai_ _kovid_ from winding up on a _bev_."

Yitzhak extended his hand out to Rau.

"For _ijaa?"_ Yitzhak asked.

Rau paused for a solid thirty seconds before grasping the veteran's hand firmly.

"For _ijaa."_ Rau repeated.

* * *

Elsewhere at an Imperial Base…..

Starkiller's fighter; _The Rogue Shadow_ , had just exited hyperspace, giving him a visual of the planet Abafar. Lord Vader had summoned him for a private debriefing on his battle with the Rebel Alliance. But the Dark Apprentice's thoughts weren't on meeting with his master or the possible questions he would be given.

The ambitious Sith had plans to build something far greater than the Empire. Starkiller knew that it was only a matter of time before the Emperor's overconfidence would lead to his demise, the Republic and Empire have been exterminating one another for generations, they were two sides of the same coin; and this Rebel Alliance and the current Empire were no different from their predecessors. This cycle of bloodshed and illusions of an idealistic world wouldn't stop of its own volition, it had to be broken, and it had already destroyed the lives of many men, women, and children alike. Starkiller himself lost his father and watched his home planet get burned because his parents were Jedi.

Starkiller's mind then drifted past all the memories of pain, blood, and pure agony to the ones that were fairly recent. He had never anticipated the opportunity of adding force wielders to his subordinate list. Brutus was an arrogant but loyal warrior, definitely not the person to go to in terms of a strategy. Sunev on the other hand was the polar opposite of Brutus: Cunning, strategical, quick witted, and a lot less predictable.

The young man had ultimately taken the Mirialan up on her offer of training Jenkari when he was not present. While he had complete confidence in the young Mirialan's talents and capabilities, he still didn't trust her loyalty to him entirely. Sunev was an Inquisitor armed with a cunning mind and a tongue of silver; the traits that actually drew Starkiller to her in the first place. The possibility of her manipulating the newest addition to their Triad hadn't escaped Starkiller's mind. His men would report any suspicious activity to him should his theory be proven true.

As the Sith's prized Starfighter landed he was pulled out of his thoughts and back into the land of the living.

Starkiller walked down the ramp with his arms crossed behind his back. The sheer emptiness of the void planet was almost unnerving. The base was very quiet and only a few troopers could be seen patrolling the perimeter.

Lord Vader's giant black form was easier to spot then a Wampa on Tatooine. The Dark Lord had his back turned on Starkiller, gazing out into the vast lands of untouched earth. Starkiller bowed before his master.

"You have summoned me master?" Starkiller asked.

Vader's respirator was all that could be heard for a few seconds until he finally spoke up.

"You have been very busy as of late, haven't you?" Vader asked, "Tracking down the terrorist cells for the glory of the Empire, setting traps for the group of rebels you call Ghost Team."

"I have master." Starkiller replied.

"And yet you haven't brought me the head of their leader or the force sensitive child, explain yourself." Vader ordered in an even tone.

"The rebels have proven more resourceful than anticipated, I have recently received word that the Protectors of Concord Dawn are now Oath bound to the Rebel Alliance." Starkiller obeyed, "They appear to lack a base of operations on the ground, that's most likely why their activity has escalated."

"The containment of this spark of rebellion was entrusted to _you,_ boy." Vader spat the second to last word, "You are failing miserably, do not think that your absence on the battlefield has gone unnoticed, lately you have been hidden from even the Emperor himself, he is beginning to question your worth."

"Forgive me, master." Starkiller said, his tone remained calm and collected.

"Forgiveness is never given, redemption for your failures is earned." Vader finally turned around and motioned for his apprentice to stand.

"What is thy bidding, my master?"

"A possible threat to the Empire's control over the galaxy has made itself known, are you familiar with the Planet Onderon?" Vader asked the young man.

"Yes master, briefly controlled by the CIS and King Sanjay Rash, the planet experienced civil war until ultimately the Resistance Guerillas led by Steela Gerrera liberated the planet albeit at the cost of Gerrera's own life." Starkiller recalled the historical battles he studied during his apprenticeship.

"The Rebels have reemerged ever since the Empire installed an occupation within the Capital City Iziz, up until now they have been a nuisance, recently the string of Rebel victories has rallied support to the Guerillas' cause." Vader continued, "That is something we cannot allow, the Rebels have already gained too much ground in this war, the Emperor expects this thorn to be removed."

"I will ready my troops immediately." Starkiller bowed.

Just as he was beginning to leave, Vader a final word in.

"Failure will not be tolerated, Starkiller." Vader said in a somewhat condescending tone, "I expect better from you this time."

"Of course, master." Starkiller said without turning around to face the caped cyborg.

* * *

 **Annnnd that's a wrap! Sorry for the wait but I have a lot of studying to do, and as such, the next chapter probably won't be posted until June :(.**

 **A/N: Reviews are what ultimately tell me whether or not me readers want me to continue, and I appreciate it when you leave me one :) It means more than you think.**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	20. Resistance on Onderon

The Rise of Starkiller

Chapter 20

Resistance on Onderon

 **Happy Summer Break everyone! I'm finally back in business, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who had the patience to wait for this update. I hope it makes up for lost time ;) My work continues into the summer and I feel a bit of pressure with new chapters, which is why positive reviews help speed up the updating process.**

 **Not much else to say, so let's get to the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: All I own are my OCs, nothing else.**

* * *

Planet Onderon, time 0100 hours…

Night had draped over the once peaceful, forest laden world of Onderon. A few fires were visible from the Capital's balcony, and the echoes of blaster rounds were heard every now and then, be it a Stormtrooper executing an out of line civilian or a small rebel ambush was unknown to anyone who wasn't at the scene of the action. The recently promoted Imperial Commander of the garrison known as Nero was waiting for the 'Special Reinforcement' that Vader had sent to clean up his mess.

While Nero wasn't too thrilled about Vader's criticism of his Garrison's progress he knew that if he was to live to fight another day he would have to swallow his pride and accept his 'failure'. Nero was rubbing his eyelids in a vain effort to vent some of his stress. He was currently looking over a holotable displaying Iziz's streets and rebel attacks, needless to say the data certainly wasn't favorable. The terrorists were no slouches when it came to battle, the experience they gained from the Battle of Onderon seems to have stuck with them over the years and the Empire was paying for it.

"Commander Nero, another one of our jungle patrols was ambushed." An Imperial Officer reported to the stressed leader.

"How many did we lose?" Nero sighed.

The officer paused for a moment and put two of his fingers on the earpiece in his left ear.

"Approximately a quarter of them are dead, half of the remainder wounded." The man reported.

"Blast!" Nero did his best to keep his frustration contained; if there was ever a time where he needed some favorable news, now was the time.

Before Nero could give the orders to have the TIE Bombers attack the area of the ambush, another officer intervened with some more news.

"Commander Nero, an Imperial Star Destroyer has exited hyperspace….. _They're_ here." The officer gave his report with a bit of fear in his voice.

Nero himself felt his odds of exterminating the rebels run high, but the temperature of his blood seemed to drop to its freezing point.

"P-prepare a squad at the landing bay, I'll meet them there." Nero ordered; his words showed a bit of his fear.

"Yes sir."

* * *

Iziz landing bay…..

A dozen Stormtroopers; six on each side of platform's entry strip. The _Rogue Shadow_ along with a few transport shuttles descended and folded up their wings and unfolded the docking legs. Nero walked to the front of the squadron of troopers and stood at attention as the _Rogue Shadow_ touched down and lowered its boarding ramp.

Three figures walked down the ramp, all with helmet covered faces. The man in the middle wore a Mandalorian-esque helmet and had a belt adorned with lightsabers wrapped around his waist. Talon-like razors decorated his fingers and the skin that was visible was as pale as a ghost.

The figure to the right of him was also a male, but he was significantly taller and a lot more muscle was evident even when his black Sith Armor covered up the entirety of his body. His fingers were a bit less humanoid and much more reptilian. A disk shaped saber handle was attached to his back.

The figure to the left was female based upon her visibly slimmer body. Watching her move was like a snake entrancing its prey before striking, as most female Darksiders do. Like the biggest of the three of them, she had a disk shaped handle for her lightsaber but she had it clipped to her belt instead of her back. The helmet she wore visibly had a retractable faceplate.

The other transport shuttles that had accompanied the Triad's descent also dropped their ramps and Stalker Company soldiers pooled out of the aircrafts and lined up in a phalanx alongside their leaders. The total of men that came out of the transports rounded up to approximately twenty men.

Commander Nero gave a respectful bow as the Sith approached him.

"Lord Starkiller", Nero made 'eye contact' with the helmeted warrior, "Welcome to Imperial Outpost _Benevolent_ , it's an honor to meet you and your infamous Triad in person."

"Spare me the pleasantries commander", Starkiller spoke coldly, "I trust you know why I am here?"

"Yes milord, the rebels have proven more resourcef…" the Commander started.

"I do not care for excuses." Starkiller interrupted, "Every minute I spend here is a minute that these Guerillas you speak of get to mount another attack, take me to the command center now."

"O-of course, m-milord." Nero stuttered before giving a quick salute and guiding the Triad into the palace.

Sunev merely gave a whistle to the soldiers, signaling half of them to accompany Starkiller, Brutus, and herself, and the other half to stay with the shuttles. The soldiers wordlessly complied and marched behind the Sith Warriors in near perfect sync.

* * *

In the _Benevolent's_ communication room….

The doors slid open, and the Imperial group entered, five Stalker Soldiers remained outside to guard the entrance while the remaining five stood up against the wall giving them full surveillance of the room and any possible assassination attempts against their master.

"Darth Starkiller, we have an incoming message from Lord Vader, he's been waiting for your arrival." A communications officer reported as soon as the Dark Apprentice entered the room.

"Put him through." Starkiller ordered.

The lights in the room dimmed and the holotable in the center of the room came to life as the three Darksiders present kneeled.

"Master, we have arrived at the designated planet." Starkiller respectfully addressed the Dark Lord.

" _Then you are ready to commence phase two."_ Vader stated almost unnecessarily, _"Unless the rebels' growing numbers have also slipped past your feeble mind, you will know that the cells have been gaining more strength in numbers and allies. These Guerillas seem to be plentiful in both experience and in numbers."_

Commander Nero did his best to avoid eye contact with the giant Sith; every insult seemed to be aimed in his direction.

" _Their lack of a proper arsenal of heavy weaponry and vehicles are the only things that have prevented them from mounting a full on assault on Iziz, the only thing on the planet that is barely under imperial control, if we lose Onderon the rebels' numbers could potentially double within weeks."_ Vader continued with his arms crossed, _"Which is why my apprentice, the man you address as 'Lord Starkiller', has come to do what your incompetent volunteers are incapable of doing: Crushing the head of the serpent that is the Guerilla Cell, Saw Gerrera."_

"It will be done, master." Starkiller stood back up along with other two members of the Triad.

" _I expect the alliance to be crippled within the month, failure will result in the disposal of Commander Nero and your Triad, Starkiller."_ Vader warned coldly.

"But milord, we can't even fin…" Nero was cut off by what seemed to be an invisible hand lifting him off the ground and pinching his windpipe shut.

The officer reached for his throat out of gag reflex in a vain effort to remove the force that was choking him. The hologram of Vader was holding out a hand, making it clear that he was responsible for the soldier's asphyxiation.

" _My patience for your complaints and constant failure is running thin, Nero, the task of eliminating Gerrera is now in my apprentice's hands, if you defy him, he will put you down like the pathetic dog you are!"_ Vader threatened him before releasing him from the force choke, the commander vomited a bit as he gasped for air.

" _Do not disappoint the Emperor, bring me the head of Saw Gerrera or you will wish that I had killed you when I found you."_ Vader gave his last ominous threat before the comlink was cut.

Vader rarely lost his temper like that, it was clear that the Empires recent string of losses to the ragtag rebels have really gotten to him.

"Assemble the leaders of whatever is left of your scout teams in the throne room, make sure they are ready for my orders." Starkiller ordered in an even tone.

"Yes milord." Nero saluted quickly and scrambled out of the room.

"And what of us?" Brutus asked, a bit sour with being denied blood for many rotations.

"You and Sunev will scour the jungle and bring me back a rebel _alive_ , do what you want with any others you may find." Starkiller addressed his Inquisitors.

"Yes master." The duo said in unison.

* * *

Undisclosed location….

Roughly a dozen rebels were making the journey back to their hiding place, bringing with them fruits of their labor: Imperial ordnance. Each of the guerillas had at least one part of their face covered, be it with a piece of cloth to cover it from the nose down, or a pair of goggles to shield their eyes varied. Still weary from a recent ambush against the imperial soldiers scouring the jungle for their base, they were not aware of a stealthy figure trailing them, using the flora and fauna to help mask any noise it may make. The figure didn't keep itself hidden for long, a red lightsaber illuminated the darkness of night, the sound of its activation alerted the resistance fighters, but they were unable to react quickly enough as another red lightsaber came flying through the air, cutting down anything and anyone in its path; which unfortunately were a few rebels.

"Open fire!" a panicked rebel shouted the first thing that came to mind given the circumstances.

The ragtag group of guerillas did their very best to stand strong against the shadowed enemies, but one by one they fell.

One was dragged into the brush by an invisible force; his screams cut short by an air piercing hum being swung through the air.

Three were put down by a torrent of red lightning.

Six were brought down when one of the figures, the bulkier of the two, came out of the darkness to reveal his helmeted face and his reptilian hands clutching a disk shaped handle for the red blade he used as a weapon. To say that he was blood hungry would be an understatement, he mercilessly cut them down without hesitation or remorse. If one was able to see his face, they may have been able to tell that he was enjoying it to an almost excessive extent.

All but one remained after the smaller of the two threw her saber and guided it with the force, and like a boomerang the blade soared through the air and at whatever her compatriot left breathing; whichever ones that were missed on the first flyby were finished off when it made a return trip to its owner.

The remaining one was on the ground, fatigue getting the better of him from the previous battle they were engaged in. He pulled out his pistol and aimed for the big one's head, but before he could pull the trigger, he felt himself being choked by an unknown force and pulled into the air where he helplessly tried to breathe.

"Inform Lord Starkiller that we have what he wants." The smaller of the two spoke in a feminine voice.

That was the last thing the survivor remembered before the same unknown force lulled his mind into a deep sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile aboard the rebel command ship _Savior_ ….

It had been almost two rotations since the Protectors of Concord Dawn's reluctant allegiance to the Rebel Alliance was secured, while the newest additions were still rough around the edges they were still willing to fight nonetheless even if they were to fight alongside a former Death Watch loyalist.

Ahsoka Tano was proud of Sabine for sparing Rau's life, it was no easy deed. But there wasn't any time to celebrate, the Alliance finally had an edge over the Empire and it wouldn't last long unless they took advantage of the opportunity, or in this case two opportunities. Ahsoka summoned all present members of the Ghost crew to the deck to brief them on two golden opportunities to recruit even more allies.

Once everyone was present, Ahsoka skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the mission.

"Thanks to the efforts of our Mandalorian faction, we have nearly doubled our airpower and taken away an ally from the Empire, we have the lead for now but unless we press out advantage it won't last long. Fleet Commander Yitzhak." Ahsoka motioned for Yitzhak Diluvium to takeover.

"As some of you already know, our Alliance is beginning to inspire the formation of other rebel cells. Two of said cells are strong in manpower and in resources, both of which would greatly benefit our cause. One has been active longer than we have: The Resistance of Ryloth, led by Cham Syndulla, war hero from the Clone Wars."

All eyes involuntarily fell upon the recently recovered Hera, the pilot of the Ghost and daughter of Cham Syndulla himself. Picking up on this, Yitzhak decided to continue before things got awkward, more so anyway.

"It appears as though we are all aware that Captain Hera is of Cham's blood, which is why we request that you and a few of the crew present go to Ryloth and see if we can secure an alliance." Yitzhak chose his words carefully.

Hera opened her mouth to speak, but apparently had second thoughts and remained silent. Not much was known about her relationship with her father, one thing that was obvious was that she never liked to talk about him, much less why she seems to be estranged from him.

"Support from either of these factions will boost our manpower substantially, on top of all that we also have a very important target of opportunity, an imperial supply frigate with enough supplies to replenish our food, water, and fuel with interest. But the Empire is now closing in on them and if we don't act fast we may lose them completely." Yitzhak continued, "Which is why I need three teams, one will accompany Ahsoka to Onderon, another will go with Captain Rex to Ryloth, and the final one will try to hijack that payload of ordnance."

"Who will be going where?" Rosa asked.

"Since Cham isn't all that trusting with Jedi, it may be best if the war specialists go to Ryloth. With Onderon the rebels were trained by Jedi so they may be more open if the force wielders in our group go to Onderon." Yitzhak informed the crew.

"Anything else we should know about?" Kanan asked, "Has there been any sightings of the Triad?"

"The Triad has vanished off the radar ever since our encounter on Takobo, they could be after another target or they very well could be waiting for us on one of these planets, either way we need to come prepared for them." Ahsoka answered, "Ketsu, Rosa, Sabine, HK-51, and Maximus, your target is the frigate, do _not_ destroy it, commandeer the vessel and take it to these coordinates."

The coordinates were transferred to their helmets' HUD.

"Yes ma'am!" they saluted in near tandem.

"Hera, Leonidas, Chopper, Zeb, and Yitzhak will go to Ryloth and meet up with the Freedom Fighters, we have potential hiding spots mapped, but they are from Imperial Databanks so expect some resistance."

"Understood." All but Hera acknowledged.

Ahsoka noticed this and did her best to persuade the green Twi'lek, but Hera wouldn't budge.

"Perhaps she should come with us?" Rosa suggested.

Seeing no alternative, Ahsoka relented.

"Very well, Rosa will be assigned to the final team, Hera you will be accompanying the infiltration team." Ahsoka stated.

"Thank you." Was all Hera said before joining her compatriots.

"Ezra, Rosa, Kanan, and myself will go to Onderon." Ahsoka finished.

"What about the cadets, ma'am?" Sabine asked.

"Jacob was injured during training, Alena and McCoy are currently deployed on a relief effort for refugees on Saleucami, and Swift was recruited into another one of our cells. But you won't be going in alone Fenn Rau's pilots will be assisting the mission to Ryloth, everyone else will get proper equipment to give them an edge." Yitzhak informed the team, "The infiltration team will be equipped with the stealth generators salvaged from Imperial Shadow Troopers, but be advised they were a bit damaged so don't count on them lasting, even with the repairs we performed."

"And what about team?" Ezra asked.

"You'll be going into the Jungle, so we are providing infrared optics for your helmets, just make sure aren't looking into a flashbang while you have them active, because they could potentially blind you." Yitzhak warned ominously.

"Good to know." Ezra quipped a bit uneasily.

"Each of you have been provided with a set of coordinates, at each of those coordinates we'll have transports waiting for you to divide the objective, we cannot run the risk of the Empire blasting them all out of the sky." Yitzhak continued, "Any questions?"

No one raised a hand or voiced a word.

"Good, you have your mission everyone, good luck and may the force be with you." Yitzhak saluted.

* * *

 **Annnd that's a wrap, be sure to leave me a review, it helps me more than you may think ;).**

 **A/N: Which one of the missions do you want me to do first?:**

 **Ryloth**

 **Onderon**

 **Cargo commandeering**

 **Leave your vote in your review and why you want the mission you voted for to be done first and it'll help me know what the audience wants.**

 **A/N: I'll update when I get around 190 reviews, the update should be around mid-July.**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	21. Old Friends, New Enemies

The Rise of Starkiller

Old friends, new enemies

 **Hello everyone, Darksawr here with another update. I appreciate your reviews, and I hope that everyone knows that I am back. So if you read the chapter, leave a review; it helps more than you know :).**

 **This setting is on Onderon, of the few who voted, Onderon got the majority of tallies, so thank you all for voting and reviewing, now on with the show!**

 **A/N: I know that I'm not the best of writers XD, I've made more than a few mistakes, but I appreciate that you guys have stuck with me and helped me walk the path, it really means a lot.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels, if I did Starkiller would be featured as a main deuteragonist long ago XD.**

* * *

Rebel blockade runner _Ardent_ …..

The hopes of a successful op were present in almost every passenger of the _Ardent_ , some with worry of failure, others with the exuberant drive for success, but the two weren't without a common denominator: No desire to lose the first advantage they've had against the Empire.

The younger residents of the _Ardent_ had thoughts that leaned a bit more to curiosity and eagerness for a fight, something that was undoubtedly sparse in this day and age. While Kanan was in an empty room for meditation, Ezra and Rosa were asking, borderline bombarding, Ahsoka with questions about the Battle of Onderon, hoping to learn some things that historical archives couldn't teach.

Ezra wondered why he hadn't broached the subject earlier, perhaps it was due to the lack of opportunities or moments to do so. While it was known that Ahsoka was present during the Onderonian Civil War, none of the Ghost crew ever thought, or bothered, to question the woman; be it from respect for privacy or lack of interest.

"What was it like, training rebels to fight, even with the knowledge that you couldn't participate in the action?" Rosa asked; not bothering to hide her excitement.

Ahsoka took no offense to the young woman's enthusiastic barrage of questions, instead she merely chuckled and answered.

"Back in the day I was a lot like you, always itching for a fight, standing by my conviction to the end", Ahsoka replied; with perhaps the smallest hint of nostalgia, "It ate me up inside, while I had faith in the guerillas capabilities I still resented the fact that I wouldn't be able to fight alongside them, make sure no lives were lost. But that was back then."

"What's it like now, going into battle I mean." Ezra asked.

"Fighting should only be done when it is necessary, it is a factor that draws the line between Jedi and Sith." Ahsoka gave another answer.

"But back on Takobo, you took down the Triad alone", Rosa interjected, "If anything you are this Alliance's best soldier."

Rosa's fascination with the art of combat was in her Mandalorian heritage, it was in her blood, as such Ahsoka wasn't unnerved nor was she surprised by the questions she was asked to answer.

"Jedi are keepers of the peace, Rosa", Ahsoka reminded the young Mandalorian, "I fought the Triad to protect your team, your friends, your family…."

Rosa remained silent, contemplating the Togruta's answers.

"I have been tainted by the Dark Side before, my thirst for combat grew out of proportion and I nearly killed my Master, taking lives only open the door for the Dark Side's temptation." Ahsoka had long since learned to forgive the events on Mortis, but the memory was still a very painful one to revisit.

"How?" Ezra inquired.

"I'd rather not say." Ahsoka sighed with a small but soft toothless smile.

"Apologies ma'am, it wasn't my intent to reopen old wounds." Ezra apologized.

"No need, I've found it best to not let my past influence my future." Ahsoka replied.

"Seems like a wise policy." Kanan walked in on the conversation.

"But not an easy one." Ahsoka finished.

"Anything we should look out for on this mission?" Rosa asked; the younger of the Wren twins didn't quite understand how meditation and visions worked.

"What do you mea… oh." Kanan tittered slightly, "'Visions' don't really work like that."

To say that the situation was awkward would be the understatement of the century; unless you count the fact that Rosa and Ezra shared haven't told Sabine or anyone for that matter about the moment shared on Takobo.

"Ah." Rosa stated as she registered the information.

"Buuuuuut, you _did_ receive some kind of message right?" Ezra asked awkwardly but with hope.

"Since when do you care about premonitions?" Kanan asked with a brow raised.

"For the first time we have an advantage over the Empire", Ezra didn't try to make excuses or cover up what many would perceive as a moment of embarrassment; a rare event indeed, "I'm not the only one here who doesn't want to lose it."

"And you can count me among them, Ezra", Kanan calmly spoke, "But you need to remember: we got to this point because we took control of our own 'destinies', we need to maintain that control and put faith in our allies and ourselves."

The sentiment was as cheesy and cheesy got, but that didn't mean it was without weight.

"With regards to that, Master Tano, we'll need your aid if we are to defeat the Triad", Rosa chimed in, still under the strong belief that Ahsoka was the best chance they had at winning the war; but she might be right, "I don't see how peace can be maintained if they are on the loose."

"The Triad may not be the enemies we think them to be." Ahsoka told her compatriots before walking to the bridge; naturally the Jedi and Mandalorian followed.

Not even Kanan would have thought that those words would be spoken in that order, it for lack of a better word seemed farfetched and dubious.

"What do you mean?" Ezra asked incredulously, "Starkiller and his two goons have devoted their lives to hunting us down!"

"Only under the orders of his master, when I fought him I sensed something that even now seems wrong: a desire to be free and a great ambition." Ahsoka explained.

"Are you sure we are talking about the same Starkiller, about yay tall, probably a dozen lightsabers clipped to his belt, clawed fingers, an avid assassin with an insane amount of power?" Ezra reiterated for good measure.

Ahsoka would have chuckled at the young man's words had the situation not been so critical.

"I'm not saying that he is a friend, Ezra", Ahsoka rephrased, "I only state that he is not the mindless animal we may have thought him to be, as such he could either prove a vital asset in the Emperor's downfall, or he will make things worse if he breaks free from the leash his master has had him on for more than half of his life."

"You're telling us to avoid killing him?" Rosa asked in disbelief, while to some the statement may be seen as "pulled out of the air", to others it was Ahsoka's cryptic message.

"When our paths cross again, we must show him the mercy his master never showed him." Ahsoka confirmed Rosa's inquiry.

"I understand that Jedi's only take a life if it isn't without reason, but to ask the rest of us to keep him alive, what about all the lives he's taken for his master, I saw what he did on Lothal, entire camps burned, the bodies of the women and children among the ashes, he's too dangerous to be kept alive!" Ezra found himself agreeing with Rosa; the mere thought of that chilling night reignited the echoing screams of the refugees as Starkiller's men gunned them down callously.

And it only kindled a fire of rage that Ezra fought to keep down ever since the encounter with Vader.

"Calm yourself." Kanan ordered as the young Jedi finished his diatribe, "If we do ever come to the decision of whether or not to take the Assassin's life, I need to know that everyone here is willing to make the right choice. If we kill Starkiller, than the Jedi will be no better than him or the Empire."

"What if the right choice is ending his rampage for good?" Ezra argued back, like a son would when he couldn't find the rhyme or reason to his father's orders.

"If that is what you believe is best when and if the time comes than follow your instinct, but be weary of the consequences that may follow." Ahsoka once again did something unexpected and seemingly sided with Ezra in this conversation turned argument, "As Kanan said, you control your own destiny, but don't let the past cloud it, be it yours or someone else's."

Ezra managed to calm himself a little, but his mind was still on the fritz from his recently vented frustration and Tano's admonishment. All of these emotions were easily detectable, regardless if you were a force wielder or not.

"Excuse me Master Tano, I need a moment." Ezra sighed before walking off to find an area where he may capture a bit of peace.

Rosa was about to follow, but Ahsoka placed her hand on her shoulder and shook her head softly.

* * *

After a minute or two of scouting, Ezra found a quite supply room that was so peaceful and spacious you could hear a pin drop. Already the young man's mind was feeling a bit at ease.

"Kanan always says that meditation clears his mind, I guess now is a good time to try it." Ezra thought to himself; having nothing better to do with a mind still hungry for clarity on Ahsoka's words.

The Jedi sat himself down in the room's center, folding his legs and placing his arms on the top of his knees before allowing his eyelids to fall down and his mind to drift away from the land of the living.

Not even seconds after Ezra finally felt his mind ease up, the hiss of a respirator echoed through the mostly vacant room. Ezra's eyes shot open as he leapt to his feet and held his lightsaber in a battle stance.

Ezra scanned the room to find that nothing was in the room, save a few crates. But again he heard the respirator hiss, this time it was right behind him! Ezra swung around sharply and attacked the alleged origin of the sound, only to strike the air and once again here the resonating sound, this time outside of the room. Ezra sensed a great darkness, one he has encountered before.

Ezra's instincts compelled him to follow the ominous, echoing sound. As the Jedi in training walked out of the room he saw that the hallways were completely empty, the only sound was that chilling hiss.

"Kanan?!" Ezra called for his master.

His voice only echoed with the repeated respirator.

"Ahsoka? Rosa?" Ezra called again and only got the same eerie silence.

"Anybody?" Ezra was beginning to worry, but he didn't let his concerns lead him astray from the sound.

The noise got louder as Ezra approached the bridge, everything seemed almost ethereal, as if a giant amount of fog was released into the vessel.

* * *

The irritating hiss ended once Ezra stepped foot into the bridge. The relatively small area for the pilots was completely void of life. The darkness Ezra had sensed was now gone, so he deactivated his weapon and looked around the room, once more compelled by instinct.

Panic swept through the boy's mind as his eyes caught glimpse of an object erroneously placed atop the cockpits control board at the front most area of the abandoned room. The ethereal mist had grown, clouding Ezra's sight and forcing him to get closer to properly inspect the object.

Ezra took one cautious step forward at a time before he finally was right in front of the mysterious item. Now that he was closer, Ezra could tell that it was a helmet of some sort. Ezra picked it up and saw that it was the helmet that Starkiller wore! The Jedi dropped the Sith's headgear from shock, he even felt his heart rate quicken.

Then the strangest of things happened, Ezra could hear a voice coming from the helmet, reaching out to him and asking for him to pick it up again. Ezra had never heard the malevolent voice before, but he felt obligated to fulfill its wishes against his better judgement. The minute his hands met the cold steel, his mind was invaded by countless voices:

* * *

" _Run!"_

" _Open fire!"_

 _The sound of a saber cutting through flesh was heard._

" _Come with me." A voice that belonged to Vader ordered._

 _The sound of an electro whip followed by a grunt of pain._

" _Embrace the pain, use it!" Vader's voice barked._

Ezra felt the cries of hundreds of people, all cut short by the sound of a lightsaber.

 _The unknown individual gave out howls of pain as he was electrocuted in a stasis field._

" _Next time I expect there to be no survivors!" Vader coldly chastised._

Another cacophony of screams followed.

" _You are a fool to think you can best me!" Vader's voice was even but the anger in was undeniably berserk._

 _A few echoes of lightsabers colliding echoed, a sound of pain came from Vader, but then the sound of lightning intervened and audibly struck Vader's assailant._

" _The boy is fierce, take him to the operation room, see to it that the dog remembers his place." A very raspy and aged voice ordered._

Ezra's eyes shot open only to find himself in a very dark room, he could sense that much pain was inflicted here.

The sound of the respirator resumed, but this time Ezra could see the source of it. A man strapped to the operating table with skin as pale as snow and a tattoo of the Empire's Symbol of Loyalty freshly applied to his arm.

A cloaked man stood in the corner, his back turned to Ezra. Ezra willed his feet to move, but they didn't comply, leaving him only to observe this event.

" _You disappoint me, boy. You could have been the most powerful soldier in the Empire if you hadn't forgotten your place, but now it is clear to me that extra precautions will be needed for you to serve loyally."_

" _Yes master…" the voice replied, this time it was more even, and much more respectful._

" _What are you?" The cloaked man asked the still unknown individual._

" _I am a servant to the great Empire."_

" _Who are you?" the hooded man questioned._

" _I am Starkiller, Galen Marek was a weak boy who is now a bad memory." The now identified man replied._

 _The cloaked figure let out a raspy laugh._

" _Take him to his cell, I may yet have some small use for him." The mystery man ordered._

The last thing Ezra remembered before waking up was a flash of the Dark Apprentice himself, now in the attire Ezra always sees him in.

Ezra fell back as if he had just awoken from a bad dream. His heart pounded against his ribcage and sweat stuck to his skin like water to glass.

* * *

Ezra jumped to his feet and quickly looked around the room to find that he was still alone. He listened but no hissing greeted him. He looked at the floor, it was solid instead of ethereal.

Ezra walked out of the tranquil room and traveled to the ship's halls. He was relieved to see rebels moving about their business.

"What was that, what did the force show me?" Ezra asked himself.

Ezra's mind was still on the fritz but this time it was due to the vision and not due to anger.

Ezra's thoughts distracted him and as a result he couldn't see Rosa approaching him. The two collided but neither fell, Ezra was now back in the land of the living.

"Sorry about that Rosa." Ezra apologized.

"Not a problem", Rosa reassured her friend, "Kanan sent me to come get you, we are five minutes away from the Onderon system."

* * *

 **Annnnnd that's a wrap! Be sure to leave a review :)**

 **A/N: So sorry for the delay, but guests and work are big balls to keep in the air XD. When I reach around 200 reviews the next chapter will be up! :D**

 **A/N: What do you think the vision is trying to tell Ezra, leave your opinion in your review and we'll see how sharp your Star Wars instincts really are ;)**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


	22. Announcement

Announcement

 **A/N: I am sorry to say that this is not a new chapter, it is an announcement. It's been eating away at my conscience for quite some time now, but now I have finally made my decision. I've opted to rewrite the Mandalorian Rebel because I feel as though I could improve greatly and I believe that taking another crack at it will be just what I need to break me out of this creative slump. Now this rewrite will contain very little OCs and Leonidas will come across the crew a bit differently and his backstory will change significantly. I thank you all for sticking with me, and I ask you to stay with me through this rewrite as well.**

 **I hope to get this done around late October to early November. I'll see you then with hopefully a much better story :)**

 **Glory to Mandalore!**


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